Page 72 Advertisements Column 1

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1539, 6 January 1874, Page 72

THE TRANSIT OF VENUS. Dr Haast, of Canterbury, writes as follows to the Lyttelton Times ;—“ Will you allow me to publish through your valuable columns an extract from a communication I have lately received from the Astronomer Royal having reference to the transit of Venus, in order to obtain for that gentleman the information required : —‘ It is now an important point for us to ascertain whether we may reckon on independent observations of the transit by scientific gentlemen in New Zealand who possess telescopes proper for this purpose. A telescope of four inches aperture, good of its kind, is perfectly available for our object. A larger telescope is in some degree preferable. The arrangement which we could desire is, that private observers should so connect their clocks with the principal line of telegraph, with which also our clock should bo connected, that the time shown by their clocks could at once be reduced to the time on our clock ; and that each observer should be prepared to observe with the utmost accuracy, by means of his own clock, the time of total entry of Venus and the time of the first contact of departure of Venus, as we shall further explain.’ I shall be glad if any gentleman possessing the necessary instruments will communicate with me at his earliest convenience, if he is willing to assist in the manner indicated by Sir Gr. B. Airy.”

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