On supporting science journalism
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It will be remembered that a United States Naval and Astronomical Expedition was fitted out with Professor J. M. Gillis at its head, to make observations in Chili in 1849, for determining the sun's distance accurately. The observations extended through parts of four years, at proper intervals from 1849 to 1852, and were very varied in their character. The data obtained for them have required an immense amount of calculations since the return of the expedition. This has, at last, been accomplished by Dr. B. A. Gould, Jr., of Cambridge, Mass., and his report will soon be published. The result obtained by him for the sun's equatorial horizontal parallax is 8// 4950 or 0// 0762 less-than the value commonly adopted, corresponding to a distance from the sun of 96,160,000 statute miles. This information is of high interest to astronomers.
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