VENUS IN DAYLIGHT — CAMERON. 347 



The elongation is least at both superior and inferior conjunc- 

 tion, the brilliancy is least at inferior conjunction. And so, if we 

 can determine how close to each conjunction an average eye can 

 see Venus in dajdight, it will be quite safe to say that she can be 

 so seen on every clear day between the limits thus determined. 



The last inferior conjunction occurred on July 9th, 1892, at 

 2.30 p. m. Before this, the best observation that the weather 

 had allowed me to get near an}^ of these conjunctions was eight 

 days before the one of April 80th, 1889. The time was a quarter 

 of an hour before sunset, the elongation 14^*-', the brilliancy 23. 

 But I knew that M. Bruguiere of Marseilles had done bettei\ He 

 had seen Venus — presumably near noon — 3^ days before this 

 same conjunction, when the elongation was less than 8'-' and the 

 brilliancy less than 7. And 4^^ days before the next inferior con- 

 junction, in December 1890, he had seen her — again presumably 

 near noon — when, though the elongation was nearly 9*^, the 

 brilliancy was only 6|-. 



I wanted to beat this record, if possible, at the July conjunc- 

 tion in ] 892, and to beat it all round, — in brilliancy, in elonga- 

 tion, and in the number of days from conjunction at which the 

 nearest observation was made. 



At first it began to look as if I would not lower even my own 

 record, for the last two days of June and the first three days of 

 July were cloudy or foggy. On July 4th the clouds cleared off 

 about an hour before noon, and at 12.30 I made a new record for 

 myself by seeing Venus when only 5 days from inferior con- 

 junction, only 9° from the sun, and with a brilliancy of only 10. 

 But M. Bruofuiere's record was still ahead of mine on all these 

 points. On the 5th my notes say, — " Fine at noon but sun car- 

 ried a train of light clouds with him, and I didn't get a sight of 

 Venus." This was very disappointing. But on the 6th, — " 12.25 

 to .35, Venus in eye — easy — cloud-trails attending sun as yes- 

 terday, but caught Venus first in a beautifully clear patch of 



pure blue. Picked her out three or four times for and 



, but they couldn't catch her. I held her with eye 



through the white edges of the cloudy stuff, and even through 

 .some of the thinnest of the clouds." This was three days and 



