THE TRANSIT OF VENUS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 409, 18 November 1874, Page 3

THE TRANSIT OF VENUS.

In the year 1882, on the 6th December, will occur a very remarkable phenomenon, and one that will greatly excite the scientific world, namely, the visible transit of the planet Venus across the disc of the | sun. Few persons now living have beheld this rare phenomenon ; nor is it probable that any person who may see it in 1882 j will ever witness the spectacle again. The transit of the same planet across the sun's disc, which, -will take place ozx tHe Bfcii o£ DeeeKkbe*, 19^4, will, <soubkless, have the effect of awakening public interest at an early date to the great event of 1882. Ten us appears to the inhabitants of the earth as the most beautiful of all the planetary stars, being the second from the sun, and one of the two inferior planets having their orbits within that of the earth. At the period of her greatest splendour, her light is so intense as to cast a shadow upon the earth's surface ; and at certain seasons, after long intervals of time, she may be seen shining with a pale silvery lustre in the full blaze of noonday. At her maximum brilliancy, her light is estimated to equal twenty fixed stars. In the regions under the equator, at the time of her greatest elongation, ahe may be seen high above the horizon burning with a clear and steady flame like a lamp — presenting an aspect far more splendid than in the latitudes of the north. She appears as an attendant upon the sun ; and may be observed by those who descend into deep open pits or cavities of the earth, following in his track. This planet presents a very remarkable telescopic appearance. The shadows of great mountains break the circle of her glimmering llight;t t ; and these mountains, according to Schroeter, a famous German astronomer, have an altitude of more than twenty miles. During her transits, her atmosphere, like a halo of faint penumbral light, is distinctly visible. Although about the size of the earth, and performing her annual revolution in about the same period, she is so much nearer the sun than we, that this luminary must appear twice as large to her inhabitants — if she have any — as to us ; and the solar rays must descend upon her with a fervour twice as strong as that with which they reach our planet. Even seen from the earth, so luminous is the aspect of Venus at certain periods that the body of the planet may bo discerned with wondeful distinctness through its transparent atmosphere. The great use of the observation of the Tarasit of Venus over the sun's disc is to determine the sun's horizontal parallax — an element of very great importance, since by it we are enabled to calculate the distance of the earth from the sun, and indirectly the distances of the other planets, as well as fixed stars. The Transits of Venus are over the sun's centre alternately, at intervals of eight and 12l£ years. The last two occurred in the years 1761 and 1769 ; so that any one now living who beheld this latter must be over 100 years old, to have seen it even in infancy. The folio wing, table exhibits, in a convenient form, the transits that have taken place aud that will take place for a period of more than three hundred years ; and also illustrates the order of the intervals at which these phenomena occur : — December 4th, 1639, to June sth, 1761... 121 £y re June sth, 1761, to June 3rd, 1769 8 „ June 3rd, 1769, to December Bth, 1374.. 105J „ December Bch, 1874, to December 6, 1882 8 „ December 6fch. 1882, to June 7th, 2004.. .121^ „ June 7th, 2004, to June 6th, 2012 8 „ The position of the planet ia apparently very different, as seen by different observers during a transit ; that is, to a person on one side of the earth, at the same instant of time, it will seem on a different part of tho sun's disc, from its apparent position viewed from the other side ; and it is by a comparison between these apparent different positions — as viewed at different places during the transit, that we obtain a- basis foijcalculation and working out Borne of the most wonderful problems of astronomical science ever mastered by the mind of man. Among these great solutions, the most important is the sun's horizontal parallax ; which, as determined by the observations on the transit of 1769 is eight seconds and six tenths ; or according to Professor Encke, as the result of his observations, 8"57?6." — "Quiver."

A vessel, freighted by the State, was to sail on the 29th of June for Bordeaux with 66 women from different houses of correction, who have expressed a willingness to contract marriage with convicts in New Caledonia. The penitentiary and model farm at Bourail lately afforded great scope for match-making on the part of the authorities, as but few of the persona under sentence in that establishment were married. Fifteen of the men, however, one day expressed a desire to remedy this omission on their part, and their matri- ] monial iutontions being cordially seconded by the governor, they were permitted to pay their addresses to the woman convicts. The courtship was of a peripatetic nature, but little more formal than that which lends an idyllic charm to lanes and fields on Sunday evenings. The men convicts were authorised to join ther companions in misfortune during their hour of exercise, and after " walking together" for a few consecutive days, they made their choice and the marriages were celebrated with much penitential pomp, and followed by substantial gifts of clothing and concessions of land on the farm. Seryanxgalism.— Writes the Thames " Star" :— " Neat little anecdotes of imported " helps " under Mr Vogel's immigration scheme are continually being circulated, and the cry is * still they come.' Here is the very latest, the truth of which may of course be vouched for. A small specimen of the genus maid of all work, engaged in the service of an " aristocrashun" in thia district waa aaked by a sympathising member of the sisterhood how the general style of the situation suited. ' Well, my dear,' was the affectionate reply, ' I find nothin' to complain of ; but master and missus does talk such very bad grammar.' This girl has a cultivated taste." Ninety railway companies in the United States, have suspended payment of interest on their bonds, and the total amount of bonds thus dishonored amounts to nearly three hundred and fifty millions of dollars. Is it any wonder, asks the "New York Herald," that America's credit abroad is no better than that of Turkey or Brazil ? The P. C. "News" reports: — Those who watch with interest the deep reefing operations at Stawell will be glad to hear that in the claim of the Extended Cross Reef Company, at a depth of about 890 feet, the stone now being raised is exceedingly rich. The trial lot crushed, it will be remembered, < yielding over three ounces to the ton, but if there is any large proportion of the same kind of stone as was shown to us yesterday, the next yield should be very much richer, the lode is reported to be strong and well defined, and is the deepest payable ground yet worked at Stawell. -»»