'714 PROGRESS OF ASTRONOMY FOJi ]S;)1 AND 18!t2. 



partiiill^ visible in (be Uuitcd Stales. On the I'a<-ili(t coast tlie sun was 

 two ortljiee lioiirs liigli at the time of the tirst and second contacts; it 

 liad set in most i)hices on tlie Athintic coast before tlie lirst contact, 

 and in Washington was only ten minutes high. Reports from twenty - 

 five observers in the United States have been forwarded to the Xaval 

 Observatory for reduction. The whole transit was visible in China, 

 Japan, eastern Silieria, and the Malaysian Islands, while in England 

 egress took place soon after sunrise. No phenomena of special impor- 

 tance seem to have been noted. In Euro])e several observers saw the 

 ''black drop" or ligament. At the Lick Observat(n\v a careful series ot 

 observations was made, both visual and ])hotographic, and the planet 

 was looked for, but without success, before it entered upon the sun's 

 disk. 



For more than an hour after ingress The planet was also carefully ex- 

 amined, with the Sfi-inch Lick telescope, by Profs. Jlolden and Keeler. 

 It ''was perfectly round, and in the ))est moments sharply terminated 

 - • - . Not the slightest trace of a satellite was seen; and both 

 observers were confident that no such body could then be on the sun's 

 face and esca])e detection unless it were exceedingly minute." 



Vent'S. — The conclusion readied by Schiaparelli that \'enus rotates 

 very slowly ui)on its axis, in fact in about thesann^ tinu' that it rotates 

 about the sun, has been challenged l)\ several observers. JMM. Niesteii 

 and Stuyvacrt, of the Brnssels Observatory, have given the matter 

 careful study, and .AI. Trouvelot has ]>ublished a series of observations 

 and sketclM's from 1S76 to ISin, from which In^ concludes tliat the rota 

 tion does not differ greatly from twenty-four lu)urs. 



An exhaustive discussion (»f recent i)ul)lications concerning the 

 physical appearance of Venus is ]mnted by Dr. Wislicenus in the 

 VIcrfeljaJir.sschriff, v. 27. ])p. 271-301*. It is (luite evident that further 

 accurate observations are necessary. 



The value of the diameter of ^>nus. deduced by Dr. ^Vuwers from the 

 heliometer measures l)y the (Tcrnmn Tiansit of X'enus parties, in 1874 

 and 1882, is 1(5". 80. 



Thi-; Eabtii: \'<(rlati(>ii of icrrcsirinl hifiiiule. — One of the most im- 

 portant subjects that has l>een under discussion during the past two 

 years — important to astronomy and geo<lesy alike — is the variation of 

 terrestrial latitudes, the strong suspicion of whicli has l)een confirmed 

 by recent very accuiate observations, and when once admitted is 

 abundantly fortified l)y the discussion of older observations. 



There seems to be now distinct (nidence of a rotation of the geo- 

 graphical rcmnd the astrononnCal pole in 427 days. The problem has of 

 course attracted the attention of the ablest astronomers and mathema- 

 ticians, but the credit for the ablest discussion and the most satisfactory 

 solution is undoubtedly due to Mr. S. C Chandler. The following sum- 

 mary of his work is taken from a re\iew in the Monthly N^oUees (V. 53, 

 No. 4j. 



