50 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA AND PEOGEESS. 



After that we obtained about sixty good ones. Al- 

 together, with the second contact, the micrometric 

 measures, the meridian transits, the different declina- 

 tions, and the photographs, I believe we have more 

 than average satisfactory results. Our observed first 

 and second contacts were about one minute and forty- 

 five seconds after American Almanac data, and about 

 three minutes and thirty seconds after the English. 

 The third contact was near the American data. 



The report from the French station is also 

 highly interesting. We quote from M. Janssen's 

 communication to the French Academy : 



On the morning of the 9th the weather was pretty 

 good, although the sky was a little overcast. The 

 first contact was secured by M. Tisserand and my- 

 self. In the 8-inch equatorial, of which the object- 

 glass was very good, the image of Venus appeared 

 very round and well-defined, and the relative motion 

 of the disk of the planet with regard to the solar 

 disk went on in a geometrical manner, without any 

 appearance of ligament or black drop. But rather a 

 long time elapsed between the moment at which the 

 disk of Venus was tangent to the sun's limb inter- 

 nally and that of the appearance of the fine line of 

 light between them. This anomalv I ascribe to the 

 atmosphere of the planet. I caused a photograph to 

 be taken at the instant the contact appeared to be 

 geometric, and on the plate the contact had not yet 

 taken place. M. d' Almeida obtained a plate con- 

 taining forty-seven photographs of the solar limb, 

 which leads to the same conclusions. I intend to 

 discuss these observations, which seem to me to lead 

 to important consequences. 



After the first interior contact, M. Picard and M. 

 Arena took as many photographs as possible, but 

 the clouds greatly hindered us. 



Finally, near-tne second interior contact, the sun 

 cleared as if providentially, and M. Tisserand was 

 able to determine the time with precision. The sky 

 was perfectly covered at the time of the last exterior 

 contact. 



I must not conclude without referring to an obser- 

 vation which relates to the corona and the coronal 

 atmosphere of the sun. With glasses of a certain 

 violet- blue color, and very pure, I was enabled to see 

 Venus before she had touched the sun's disk. She 

 was visible as a small, very pale, round spot. When 

 she commenced to bite into the sun's disk, this spot 

 completed the black segment which was visible on 

 the sun. It was a partial eclipse of the coronal at- 

 mosphere. I saw Venus two or three minutes of arc 

 from the sun's limb. 



8. Beyrout Lat. 33 49', long. 2 h - 21 m - E. 

 The observations were successful. 



9. Kobe. Lat. 34 40', long. 9 h - l m - E. French 

 station. The observations, though in some 

 respects unsatisfactory, were in a good degree 

 successful. 



10. Yokohama. Lat. 35 36', long. 9 h - 19 m - E. 

 Eussian and Mexican station. The observa- 

 tions at this station were eminently successful. 

 The Mexican party were under the direction 

 of Settor Covorrubias. 



11. Teheran. Lat. 35 37', long. 3 h - 25 m - E. 

 Eussian station. Observations successful. 



12. TscMfu.Lsit. 37 30', long. 8 h - 5 m - E. 

 German station. The weather was fine, and 

 the observations in general were eminently 

 successful. 



13. Peking. Lat. 89 54', long. 7 h - 46 m - E. 

 American and French station. Prof. Watson's 

 party succeeded in observing all four of the 

 contacts, and secured ninety photographs. It 



is to be regretted, however, that Prof. Young, 

 of Dartmouth College, who was with this 

 party, was unsuccessful in his efforts to obtain 

 spectroscopic observations. The first two con- 

 tacts were sixty-eight and seventy-five seconds 

 later than the computed times, while the third 

 and fourth were forty-three and sixty-five 

 seconds earlier than predicted. These dis- 

 crepancies may be explained by supposing the 

 sun's diameter to be somewhat less than the 

 value used in the American Nautical A Imanac. 



14. Orianda. Eussian station. The third 

 and fourth contacts were well observed. 



15. Port Possiet.LaL 42 42', long. 8 h - 43 m 

 E. Eussian station. The second and third 

 contacts were observed, and thirty-eight pho- 

 tographs taken. 



16. Vladivostok. L&t. 43 7', long. 8 h - 47 m - E. 

 American and Russian station. Prof. Asapli 

 Hall, and his assistant, O. B. Wheeler, of the 

 American party, observed the first two con- 

 tacts, and the photographers obtained thirteen 

 pictures. As Venus approached the third con- 

 tact, the cloud, or haze, grew more dense, and 

 the fourth contact was entirely obscured. 



17. Yassy. Lat. 47 3', long, l h - 50 m - E. Ger- 

 man station. The condition of the -atmosphere 

 was very unfavorable. The fourth contact, 

 however, was successfully observed. 



18. Hdbaroolca. Lat. 48 16', long. 8 h - 58 m - E. 

 Eussian station. The first two contacts were 

 visible. 



19. KiacUa.lAi. 50 20', long. 7 b< 6 m - E. 

 Eussian station. Eight photographs were se- 

 cured. 



20. Nertchin*LL&t. 51 18', long. 7 h - 68 m - E. 

 Eussian station. Three contacts were ob- 

 served, and over twenty measures with the 

 heliometer secured. 



21. Tschita. Lat. 52 0', long. 7 h - 34 m - E. 

 Eussian station. All the contacts were ob- 

 served, and four series of measures by the 

 heliometer were taken. 



SOUTHERN HEMISPHEEE. 1. Rodrigues. 

 Lat. 19 4 ; , long. 4 h - 14 m - E. English station. 

 The observers were Lieutenants Neate and 

 Hoggan, and Mr. Burton. The contacts were 

 well observed, and a large number of photo- 

 graphs were taken. 



2. Mauritius. Lat. 20 20', long. 3 h - 51 m - E. 

 Station of Lord Lindsay's party. Lord Lind- 

 say was assisted in his observations by Mr. 

 Gill, Mr. Davis, and Dr. E. Copeland. The 

 sun was entirely obscured by clouds until l h- 

 and 2 m - after the first contact. The clouds 

 broke away, however, at eight o'clock in the 

 morning, and the state of the atmosphere re- 

 mained favorable till the end of the transit. 

 About one hundred good photographs were 

 secured, and "Mr. Gill obtained five complete 

 determinations of greatest and least distances 

 of the centres of the sun and Venus, besides 

 nine measures of cusps and two separate deter- 

 minations of the diameter of Venus near the 

 end of the transit." The last internal and ex- 

 ternal contacts were both seen, and other valu- 



