﻿1875.] 
  

  

  Transit 
  of 
  Venus 
  across 
  the 
  Sun. 
  

  

  257 
  

  

  diffused 
  light 
  ; 
  and 
  at 
  first 
  I 
  estimated 
  this 
  annulus 
  at 
  3" 
  in 
  breadth. 
  It 
  

   was 
  probably 
  brightest 
  about 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  chord 
  above 
  named 
  cut 
  

  

  Ingress. 
  

  

  The 
  annular 
  ring 
  of 
  light 
  could 
  be 
  distinguished, 
  in 
  continuation, 
  around 
  the 
  limb 
  

   on 
  the 
  sun 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  this 
  continuation 
  was 
  rendered 
  visible 
  chiefly 
  by 
  the 
  

   movements 
  taking 
  place 
  in 
  it, 
  it 
  is 
  necessarily 
  absent 
  here. 
  

  

  V 
  k 
  . 
  At 
  6 
  m 
  before 
  first 
  internal 
  contact, 
  I 
  estimated 
  L 
  k 
  at 
  4" 
  in 
  breadth 
  ; 
  

   at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  my 
  notes 
  contain 
  the 
  remark, 
  " 
  definition 
  excellent." 
  

   At 
  3 
  m 
  24 
  s 
  before 
  first 
  internal 
  contact 
  I 
  remarked, 
  "light-ring 
  quite 
  

   distinct;" 
  and 
  l 
  m 
  16 
  s 
  later 
  I 
  stated, 
  " 
  light-ring 
  quite 
  bright." 
  Indeed 
  

   the 
  annulus 
  L 
  k 
  was 
  so 
  plain 
  that, 
  after 
  recording 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  transit 
  for 
  

   the 
  dark 
  edge 
  V 
  k 
  , 
  I 
  even 
  made 
  a 
  conjectural 
  record 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  

   the 
  bright 
  edge 
  (L 
  k 
  ) 
  transited 
  across 
  the 
  sun's 
  limb. 
  Of 
  course 
  this 
  latter 
  

   estimate 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  recollection 
  of 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  L 
  k 
  , 
  and 
  not 
  on 
  any 
  

   visible 
  fact 
  ; 
  for 
  as 
  L 
  k 
  came 
  on 
  the 
  sun's 
  disk, 
  the 
  lesser 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  

   merged 
  into 
  the 
  greater 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  On 
  the 
  whole, 
  I 
  am 
  of 
  opi- 
  

   nion 
  that 
  L 
  k 
  was 
  between 
  2" 
  and 
  less 
  than 
  4" 
  in 
  breadth. 
  

  

  Ingress 
  (continued). 
  — 
  " 
  And 
  now 
  for 
  ' 
  the 
  pear-drop,' 
  ' 
  the 
  ligament,' 
  

   &c," 
  I 
  mentally 
  exclaimed, 
  as 
  I 
  watched 
  the 
  following 
  limb 
  of 
  Venus 
  

   which 
  had 
  just 
  transited. 
  From 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  stated 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  

   as 
  Y 
  k 
  passed 
  onwards 
  from 
  the 
  sun's 
  limb, 
  it 
  was 
  followed 
  immediately 
  

   and 
  visibly 
  by 
  the 
  light-ring 
  L 
  k 
  ; 
  so 
  that, 
  unless 
  Venus 
  suddenly 
  shot 
  

   backwards 
  across 
  this 
  ring 
  of 
  light, 
  there 
  could 
  be 
  no 
  " 
  pear-drop 
  " 
  and 
  no 
  

   " 
  ligament." 
  Fully 
  expecting 
  this 
  retrogression, 
  I 
  still 
  watched 
  intently 
  

   for 
  the 
  event, 
  while 
  my 
  friend 
  Mr. 
  Cole 
  went 
  on 
  deliberately 
  enumera- 
  

   ting 
  seconds 
  amid 
  the 
  complete 
  silence 
  enforced 
  on 
  all 
  others 
  around 
  ; 
  

  

  present 
  than 
  the 
  stump 
  of 
  a 
  broken 
  blacklead 
  pencil 
  and 
  a 
  blue-red 
  carpenter's 
  pencil. 
  

   A 
  better 
  sketch 
  will 
  be 
  forwarded 
  hereafter. 
  [A 
  woodcut 
  of 
  the 
  better 
  sketch 
  will 
  

   accompany 
  Note 
  No. 
  2. 
  — 
  G. 
  G. 
  S.] 
  

  

  