148 Report of Observations on the Transit of Mercury. 
with our ten feet refractor, with different powers from 55 to 110; 
nor, so far as we have heard, were any such appearances as were 
supposed by the earlier observers of the transits of Mercury to 
indicate an atmosphere, recognized on the present occasion. 
In the observations of Dr. Moll on the transit of May 5th, 
1832, that astronomer speaks of having seen a grayish spot, on 
the disk of the planet, and the same appearance was remarked by 
his assistants ;* and he tells us that Schroder and Harding had 
noted a similar appearance during the transit of 1799. But none 
of the reports before us speak of seeing any thing on the face of 
the planet, but all who mention its aspect describe it as uniform- 
ly black. Its deep shade of black, indeed, seemed to contrast it 
very strikingly with several solar spots visible along with it on 
the sun. Three of these were conspicuous objects in our ten feet 
telescope, all on the hemisphere of the sun, opposite to that tra- 
versed by the planet, and of a pale hue compared with that of 
the latter. 
In the transit of Mercury of May 5th, 1832, M. Schenck, a 
German observer, thought he saw a satellite accompanying the 
planet, which he describes as a round black spot as large as the 
head of a pin,t and distant from the primary about two or three 
diameters of the latter. It occasionally disappeared, and then. 
came into view again; but half an hour before the egress, the 
surface of the sun being very clear and unagitated, he had a 
well-defined view of the little spot for fifteen minutes, especially 
when he employed aglass not deeply colored, and he exhibited it 
to two other persons. At this time, he found it at the northeast of 
Mercury, although it had been at the north in the morning. M. 
Schenck was not able, with the closest attention, to observe the 
egress of thislittle point from the disk of the sun, immediately after 
that of the planet. He was of opinion that the satellite was 
situated a little behind Mercury, and was nearer to the sun than 
the planet. 
M. Schumacher does not think that M. Schenck really saw 
a satellite of Mercury, but ascribes the appearance to a minute 
solar spot. 
Nothing of this kind, so far as we have learned, was seen dur- 
ing the late transit; but it would not seem difficult to distinguish a 
* Astr. Trs. VI, 115. + Astron. Nach. No. 228; Bib. Univers. t. 5, p. 88. 4 
