ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA AND PROGRESS. 



51 



able observations were obtained by Dr. Cope- 

 land. 



3. Reunion. Lat. 20 51', long. 3 h - 42 m - E. 

 Dutch station. The third contact was ob- 

 served, and a few photographs were taken. 



4. New Caledonia. Lai. 21, long. ll h - E. 

 French station. The first and second contacts 

 were observed, and 100 good photographs ob- 

 tained. M. Andre, of the Paris Observatory, 

 was appointed director of the expedition, 

 while the photographic portion of the work 

 was intrusted to M. Angot, Professor of Phys- 

 ics in the Normal School, Paris. " The main 

 features in all the telescopic observations are 

 the 3 minutes' difference between the esti- 

 mated and observed times of first contact, the 

 absence of the drop, and, in the case of the 

 instruments furnished with silvered objectives, 

 the clear tangential contact of the planet and 

 the sun's limb, which enabled four out of the 

 five observers to obtain the instant of a second 

 contact with very great accuracy." 



5. Sydney. Lat. 33 51', long. 10 h - 5 m - E. 

 English observatory. Mr. Russell, the Gov- 

 ernment astronomer at Sydney, reported favor- 

 able weather and successful observations. No 

 black drop was seen. A beautiful halo was 

 visible around Venus immediately before in- 

 gress a phenomenon doubtless due to the at- 

 mosphere of the planet. 



6. Cape Town. Lat. 33 56', long. l h - 14 ra - E. 

 Fourteen photographs were taken. 



7. Adelaide. Lat. 34 40', long. 9 h - 15 m - E. 

 English observatory. The last two contacts 

 were satisfactorily observed. The third oc- 

 curred one minute and three seconds, and the 

 fourth, one minute and thirty-two seconds, be- 

 fore the time computed by the American com- 

 mission. Mr. 0. Todd, observing with an eight- 

 inch refractor, remarked : " For some time 

 after internal contact at egress the portion of 

 the planet which had moved off the sun was 

 distinctly visible, appearing as though seen 

 through a nebulous and luminous haze of a 

 purplish hue, extending beyond and around 

 the edge of the planet, and inclining to violet 

 toward the sun." 



8. Beecliwortli, Victoria. Lai. 36 21' 40", 

 long. 9 h> 46 m - 5 s - 2 E. American station. Some 

 acconnt of the observations at Beechworth is 



. given in the American Journal of Science for 

 December, 1875, by Dr. Henry J. Anderson, 

 of Columbia College, New York. The exact 

 time of the first contact was not obtained ; the 

 second, however, was well observed. As the 

 planet's ingress became complete its cusps ap- 

 proached each other with surprising geometri- 

 cal precision. No " black drop," nor any thing 

 resembling it, was at any time noticed. 



9. Melbourne. Lat. 37 49', long. 9 h> 40 m - E 

 English observatory. The observations at Mel- 

 bourne were in a good degree successful. The 

 second and third contacts were observed, and, 

 as at several other stations, the surface of 

 Venus was seen outside the sun. Mr. Ellery, 

 Director of the Melbourne Observatory, re- 



marks : " With respect to an atmosphere sur- 

 rounding Venus and the presence of a satellite, 

 some of the observers had noticed toward the 

 centre of Venus a light which condensed al- 

 most to a bright spot ; and the Rev. Mr. 

 Clarke, of Williamstown, observed a brown- 

 ish-orange halo surrounding Venus, and some 

 others had observed a colored light, though 

 the difference of the tint was no doubt due to 

 the eye-pieces used." 



10. Campbelltown, Tasmania. Lat. 41 56.- 

 5, long. 9 h - 50 m> E. American station. At the 

 commencement of the transit the sun was 

 wholly obscured by clouds. They broke away, 

 however, before twelve o'clock, so that more 

 than 100 pictures were taken, the third con- 

 tact was observed, and a number of micrometer 

 measures secured. This party was under the 

 direction of Captain Raymond. 



11. Hobart Town. Lat. 43 0', long. 9 h - 

 49 m> E. American station. The party, under 

 Prof. Harkness, had but partial success. Clouds 

 and rain interfered with the observation, but 

 a large number of photographs were secured 

 during the intervals of clearness. 



12. Burnham, near ChristchurcTi, New Zea- 

 land. Lai. 43 30', long. ll h - 31 m - E. English 

 station. Dense clouds prevented observations. 



13. Queenstown, New Zealand. Lat. 45 1', 

 long. ll h - 15 m> E. American station. The ex- 

 pedition to Queenstown was under the direc- 

 tion of Dr. 0. H, F. Peters, of Hamilton 

 College, New York. The sun was entirely con- 

 cealed by clouds till within two minutes of the 

 first contact, when, just in time, they broke 

 away, affording the opportunity for successful 

 observations. All the contacts were observed ; 

 the apparent diameter of Venus was carefully 

 measured ; the distance of the planet from the 

 sun's limb was repeatedly determined; and 

 237 photographs were taken. 



14. Kerguelen Islands. Lat. 49 54', long. 5"- 

 41 m> E. American, English, and German sta- 

 tion. The observations were partly successful. 



15. AucUand Islands. Lai. 50 48', Ion. ll h - 

 7 ra> E. German station. Photographs were ob- 

 tained, and the contacts were observed at egress. 



The foregoing list of stations is by no means 

 complete ; it is believed, however, to contain 

 most of those at which the observations were 

 successful. To discuss and collate the mate- 

 rials furnished by some forty expeditions, must 

 be the work of time. The result will prob- 

 ably be made known, however, at no very dis- 

 tant day. -" . '". 



Incidental Results of the transit Observa- 

 tions. 1. The question in regard to the exist- 

 ence of a satellite of Venus may now be re- 

 garded as decided in the negative. No such 

 body was seen by any of the observers. 



2. The accuracy of former measures of the 

 apparent diameter of Venus had been vitiated 

 by the . brilliant glare of the planet. The 

 measurement, therefore, while on the sun's disk 

 will afford a more exact determination of the 

 true diameter. 



