ore the latitude of the
village will be 53 deg. 35', and longitude of both 22 deg. 30' from the
Fortunate Islands, now called the Canaries. This is 14 deg. 15' to the west
of Uraniburg in Denmark, the longitude of which is stated by Brahe, a
native of the place, to be 36 deg. 45' from these islands.

'This is all I could observe respecting this celebrated conjunction
during the short time the Sun remained in the horizon: for although
Venus continued on his disc for several hours, she was not visible to me
longer than half an hour on account of his so quickly setting.
Nevertheless, all the observations which could possibly be made in so
short a time I was enabled by Divine Providence to complete so
effectually that I could scarcely have wished for a more extended
period. The inclination was the only point upon which I failed to attain
the utmost precision; for, owing to the rapid motion of the Sun it was
difficult to observe with certainty to a single degree, and I frankly
confess that I neither did nor could ascertain it. But all the rest is
sufficiently accurate, and as exact as I could desire.'

Besides having ascertained that the diameter of Venus subtends an angle
not much greater than one minute of arc, Horrox reduced the horizontal
solar parallax from fifty-seven seconds as stated by Kepler to fourteen
seconds, a calculation within one and a half second of the value
assigned to it by Halley sixty years after. He also reduced the Sun's
semi-diameter.

Crabtree, to whom Horrox refers as 'his most esteemed friend and a
person who has few superiors in mathematical learning,' made
preparations to observe the transit similar to those already described.
But the day was unfavourable, dark clouds obscured the sky and rendered
the Sun invisible. Crabtree was in despair, and relinquished all hope of
being able to witness the conjunction. However, just before sunset there
was a break in the clouds, and the Sun shone brilliantly for a short
interval. Crabtree at once seized his opportunity, and to his intense
delight observed the planet fully entered upon the Sun's disc. Instead
of proceeding to take observations, he was so overcome with emotion at
the sight of the phenomenon, that he continued to gaze upon it with rapt
attention, nor did he recover his self-possession until the clouds again
hid from his view the setting Sun.[4]

Crabtree's observation of the transit was, however, not a fruitless one.
He drew from memory a