SEE OCCULTAflpNliF VENUS 



Harvard Obaeivatory Makes No Scientific 

 Observations of Astronomical Phenome- 



, noa r -{^^<^. l'^ J / -^^^ ^ 



A£ far as the' Harvard Observatory 1» 

 ooneerned Vt ni:H r-mai'ns uiiinhatilted. The 

 opc'ul';:! planet by tho moon,, 



%vlii( l' morning Just before 



sunri, i , > was regarded as a 



boautitu; ;iiia iii Ji ii iiis phenomenon, yield- 

 ed no observations at C'smbrldse wWoU 

 would throw light on the pi-oblent twhether 

 there ia Intelligent lite on the world's celes- 

 tial neighbor. 



Professor Edwjird S. ICing of the astron- 

 omy department at Harvard, who was jit 

 the observatory this mornlcig, explained 

 that no seriima attempt to study the event 

 was made by the observatory ataft, as ra- 

 seareh \vorl< of that kind Is outside tUar 

 llfia of investigation for which tbo obser- 

 |\;,i,,ry i ; . riuipijorl. Professor King, how- 

 1 1 r, n;it. hod the occultallon tlirough a 

 tL-u-Snt-li tpUsoopc, from the time It began 

 at seviin o'clock until It was^ completed at 

 7.22. At no time was the planet comiplate- 

 ly obscured. The grcatetst diminution of 

 lU Ught was at 7.10. 



To the ania-t'-iir i=lar gazers who Tratchea 

 ithe uniisua.l rv:nt wUh the na.l«d eye, tlia 

 planet, 'Whirti i-; mnv .approaching Its great- 

 est brilliancy, seemed tio touch and almost 

 come withi'n the crescent of the moon, 

 glviing an Illusion of alt oculan demonstra- 

 tion of the oet Coleridge's much crltlorsea 

 Hnt» describing tlio moon wlUi one ptar 

 "Within Its nether tip." The .atmosphoro 

 was clear, and in the faint light afford»3 

 ! by the rlsilng sun tjhe spectamle wag on* of 

 rare bf^i-aty. The dc'cultatlon of Venua la 

 I the first itJiat has been visible In Boston or 

 ' vicinity for forty-nve years, tihe last ono 

 taking place on Wu-. T, 1877. Incklejvtally 

 it ,niay lie e\plainod that woultatlon Is a 

 tertn appl'.<id tt^ the eclipse of stairs or 

 planiMts, While eclipse Is reserved to descrthia 

 a simliar phenmnenon In connection with 

 the BDii or moon. ^ 



