TEAKSIT OF YENITS. 107 



We come now to the last point that I propose to speak of to- 

 night. The information I have collected about it is in some 

 respects very puzzling, but I have no doubt still more light on 

 the physical character of Venus will yet come out of the light 

 of the halo that we have observed. That it was a very brilliant 

 and beautiful object will be made abundantly evident by the 

 accounts which follow, and that it would be possible to write an. 

 interesting paper on this subject alone, long enough for one 

 meeting, I am quite sure ; two present opportunities are however, 

 not open to me ; and I crave your patience while I endeavour to 

 give as concise and faithful account of it as I can in the shorfe 

 space that remains. 



And beginning as before, with Eden. Mr. Scott, who was 

 using a 7i-inch equatorial, of very fine definition, and of whicfe 

 the aperture was reduced to two inches, says : — " Eor some 

 minutes before internal contact I could see clearly the whole of 

 the planet's outline ; in fact it presented exactly such an appear- 

 ance as might have been expected from a planet possessing an 

 atmosphere." Mr. MacDonnell says : — " At the time of apparenfe 

 bisection a shadowy nebulous ring seemed to envelop Venus ; 

 on the preceding side it was of lighter tint than the planet, but 

 was decidedly perceptible, and appeared to be about one quarter 

 or one-fifth of the diameter of the planet in width. When 

 ingress was about two-thirds completed the whole outline of the 

 planet was distinctly visible in the telescope, the shadowy envelope 

 surrounding it very plainly." 



At Goulburn, Captain Onslow first saw the halo at 12h. 17m. 5s. 

 A bright light was seen at the lower point of intersection of the 

 circles, and in a few seconds a similar one at the upper point, and 

 at 12h. 19m. 5s. an apparent circle was formed by the planet. 



Professor Liversidge says, when the planet was about one-third 

 of its diameter from third contact: — "It then appeared spheroidal, 

 and not as a disc merely ; it appeared illuminated on the under 

 side in the direction of the sun's diameter, or on the side of the 

 planet towards the sun's centre, and this illumination shaded olF 

 on each side of the planet, but at the portion nearest the sun's 

 limb it appeared quite black and opaque. This globular appear- 

 ance was retained until the planet had passed ofi" the sun's limb 

 to the extent of about one-sixth of its diameter. 



" After internal contact the planet looked somewhat as if it were 

 pushing that portion of the sun's limb before it, for the solaT 

 limb appeared to be raised up into two processes, one on ies!% 

 side. At the time I thought it might perhaps be due to an 

 atmosphere surrounding Venus, or to an optical illusion, but 

 since I have heard that other observers saw the illuminated edge 

 of Venus beyond and outside the sun, I am inclined to think it 

 was that whicb I saw. However, I did not see a circle, but 



