The1882 transit of Venus on 6 December 1882 (13:57 to 20:15 UTC), was the second and lasttransit of Venus of the 19th century, the first having taken placeeight years earlier in 1874. Many expeditions were sent by European powers to describe both episodes, eight by theUnited States Congress alone.[1]
Edward James Stone organized the British expeditions.Stephen Joseph Perry and CommanderPelham Aldrich, as captain of HMSFawn, observed the transit from an improvised tent observatory inMadagascar.[2]
Jean-Charles Houzeau invented in 1871 aheliometer with unequal focal lengths. For the observation of the transit he organized two expeditions: one toSan Antonio, Texas, and another toSantiago de Chile. The two expeditions each had an identical copy of Houzeau's heliometer.[3]
TheFrench Academy of Sciences organized ten expeditions to various locations, including Florida, Mexico, Haiti,Martinique, andCape Horn.[4] For observations of the transit by French expeditions, for the year 1883 the French Academy of Sciences awarded nineLalande Prizes to scientists, including Jean Jacques Anatole Bouquet de La Grye (leader of expedition toPuebla, Mexico), Octave de Bernardières (leader of expedition toSan Bernardo, Chile), and the naval officer Georges-Ernest Fleuriais (leader of expedition to the coast of the provinceSanta Cruz inPatagonia).[5][6]
The transit was observed from the United Kingdom by Samuel Cooper inCharminster and Roger Langdon atSilverton, both in Devon,[7][8] and byW F Denning in Bristol.[9] In Ireland byR S Ball,[10] W Doberck andJ L E Dreyer also saw it.[11]
The event was celebrated in music with theTransit of Venus March byJohn Philip Sousa.
