848 VENUS IN DAYLIGHT— CAMEKON. 



two hours ItL'f'orc conjunction, tlie elongation was just under 7°^ 

 the 1»rilliancy 5. I tried my eye again on the 7th but witliout 

 success, — the sky near the sun was white, instead of bine as on 

 the 6th. The 8tli was cloudy. On the 9th — the day of con- 

 junction — Venus was so eany in a field glass, and even in an 

 opera glass, that I felt almost sure that a lietter eye than mine 

 would have picked her up without help. At 3.30 I ' thought 

 once I glimpsed her with eye hut probably not." 



In the Visibility article I had allowed for the half of " a fort- 

 night or so" before inferior conjunction, during which Venus 

 might not be visible to the naked eye in daylight. And about the 

 same time M. Trouvelot had come to the conclusion that she 

 could be so seen when not less than 10° out from this conjunc- 

 tion. The above observations more than confirm both estimates. 

 That of July 6th, 1892, shows that an eye, which I know to be 

 less keen than many are, can see Venus when only a little over 

 three days, and when less than 7^ from inferior conjunction. 

 ******** 



Befiire inferior conjunction, Venus is on the east side of the 

 sun and following him. I have always found this position the 

 best one for seeing her when near conjunction. My facilities for 

 shutting off the sun are much better when he precedes her than 

 when she precedes him. And the very fact of his preceding her 

 is quite an advantage in itself, for the observer is not then dis- 

 turbed by the fear that his search may be spoiled by the sun 

 coming into his ej^es from round the corner. 



This is one of the reasons why I have never seen Venus as close 

 to either conjunction when she was west of the sun as when on 

 the east of him. Another is, that, whenever I have been mak- 

 ing observations of this kind, it has happened that the seeing was 

 much better when she was close on the east than when on the 

 other side. But this cannot always happen, and some time or 

 other we may hope to have blue sky and clear air when Venus is 

 preceding the sun at a small angle — as small as or even smaller 

 than the angle that separated them on July 6, 1892. 



When I first got my eye on her after that conjunction she was 



