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Letter to Editor
November 2, 1769
The Virginia Gazette
Richmond, Williamsburg, Richmond County, Virginia
What is this article about?
A letter to the printers informs readers of the transit of Mercury across the Sun on Thursday, November 9th, at 2:34 PM, describing its path north of the Sun's center and noting improvements to astronomical tables from observations, unlike Venus transits for parallax.
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To Messrs. Purdie & Dixon.
GENTLEMEN,
As no doubt many of your readers will be pleased with a sight of the transit of Mercury, you may inform them that on Thursday the 9th of this month, at 34 minutes after 2 o'clock, they will see the planet Mercury just entering the Sun's disk on his upper limb. He will pass 7 minutes and 30 seconds of a degree to the north of the Sun's centre. Mercury is so near the Sun that he seldom affords astronomers a good opportunity of observing him, and consequently the tables of his motion are far from being perfect, but it is expected that they will be brought to great perfection by good observations on the ensuing transit. The Sun's horizontal parallax cannot be ascertained by a transit of Mercury as it may by a transit of Venus, as I will show hereafter.
I am your humble servant,
T. M.
GENTLEMEN,
As no doubt many of your readers will be pleased with a sight of the transit of Mercury, you may inform them that on Thursday the 9th of this month, at 34 minutes after 2 o'clock, they will see the planet Mercury just entering the Sun's disk on his upper limb. He will pass 7 minutes and 30 seconds of a degree to the north of the Sun's centre. Mercury is so near the Sun that he seldom affords astronomers a good opportunity of observing him, and consequently the tables of his motion are far from being perfect, but it is expected that they will be brought to great perfection by good observations on the ensuing transit. The Sun's horizontal parallax cannot be ascertained by a transit of Mercury as it may by a transit of Venus, as I will show hereafter.
I am your humble servant,
T. M.
What sub-type of article is it?
Informative
What themes does it cover?
Science Nature
What keywords are associated?
Transit Of Mercury
Astronomy Observation
Sun Disk
Mercury Motion Tables
Venus Transit Comparison
What entities or persons were involved?
T. M.
Messrs. Purdie & Dixon
Letter to Editor Details
Author
T. M.
Recipient
Messrs. Purdie & Dixon
Main Argument
informs readers about the upcoming transit of mercury across the sun on thursday the 9th of this month at 34 minutes after 2 o'clock, detailing its path and astronomical significance, including the imperfection of current motion tables and comparison to venus transits for determining the sun's parallax.
Notable Details
Mercury Passing 7 Minutes And 30 Seconds Of A Degree To The North Of The Sun's Centre
Tables Of Mercury's Motion Expected To Improve With Observations
Sun's Horizontal Parallax Cannot Be Ascertained By Mercury Transit As By Venus