New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-03-18
ASTRONOMY.
PROP. MuTCHELL's LECTURES. i


The distinguished American Astronomer was greeted
on Tuesday night By very large sssemblagc. fe Wal
introduced TO toe audience by Rev Dr. WAINWRIGHT il
some appropriate and happy remarks and then spoke a
( follows
L0dies and Gentlemen. The science which claims
our attention tonight is the Science Of the stars
/ From the earliest ages, these bright and bcautifu
orbs which fiji the heavens have fixed the attention
fastened the gaze-excited the curiosity Of every
contemplatiye mind From the Chaldeau shepherd
who, while he watched his focks by night wa.
wrapped in the contemplation Of these bright clus
tiers that rose and silently pursued their solemn
| course through Heaven, and quietly sank beneath
the horzonlrOm that early day through all ages dowr
10 the modern Astronomer who with bis mighty in
stramen. penetrates to the utmost bounds Of creation
these objects have been regarded with peculiar
interest and delight The science OF Astronomy is not
science which has had its origin in necessity It springs
from the curiosity of man-a curiosity that leads him
upward through the works OF creation 10 Creation
God a science which has been increasing developing
and expanding through all time until II mas become the
exponent OF the highest powers Of the human intellect
sweeping within lie range the whole wide creation Of
God 1t has given TO the mind its greatest problem in
the resolution OF which il has summoned TO lie aid the
most wonderful works of art and the most powerful
exhibitions OF analysis, and " its prosecution the
mghtiest niellects that have graced the earth have
given their vast powers and their uuremitn2 efforts
know the difficulty OF the position that occupy to-
night know that have but little time discuss
one of the most profound and difficult and attended
subjects n therefore should pass from point to point
with rapidity-f should, a. IL touch but here
aud there you will understand the circumstances by
which am surrounded aud forgive the hurried mar.
/ ner in which ] may be Obliged to pass many i'm.
/ portant points OF my subject
Ia looking out upon the Heavens, we ind the stars
scattered pToiusely-we find them sending down 10
their light some with greater intensity than others
some but barely visible 70 the eye. We them form
inc beautiful combinations and clusters here and there
throughout the Heavens; but to the uuprscced eye
that examines these tbings there is tysemthefe is
\ no order All seems 10 be confusion and chaos How
s II that Mind of this chaos has brought order
pcity and beauty has selected those which linked
together by mighty tie which binds them in grand
system aud with irresistible bond the great
tsei would answer Tor the solution Of this great
problem that the mind has brought 10 its aid the most
wonderful inyen ton that man has ever created II has
armed itself with the Telescope instrument which
possesses the extraordinary power OF causing objects
which far sunk IN 20 stand before the eye and
there rest subject to the scrutinzing gaze OF man
and hot only this, II has the power OF marking aud
measuring with accuracy the most infinitesimal mo-
tons of the distant oTbE-of tracing out their
In the Heavens and OF measuring the vast periods
in which they accomplish their revolutions.
Although the Telescope has ensblcd man TO make
these mighty conquess in the realms of space they
net sufficient TO satisfy his Intellect He goes backward
lie begins with train Of reasoning which based upon
the solid rock of Truth He rises lays stone upon
another until from the summit OF mathematical pyra
mid raised by his powers he looks out upon the
vast works Of God and all lies clear and bright and
beautiful befor, him. We have in this course bat two
points to illustrate The rr is the character and power
Of the Telescope the second the character and power
OF the Mental Machinery My hrst Lecture will be de
voted 10 the first topic
In 1910 the world sstounded by the discoveries
made by CALICO He had succeeded in constructing
instrument which not only assisted the sight but al
made sight He had constructed an instru-
ment which had the power not only OF revealing the
characteristics OF objects invisible to the naked eye but
absolutely OF evong objects from space which sup
posed 70 have existence CoFERNIcUs had revealed
TO the world the true system of the Universe but he had
been compelled yield the influence Of the iron
in which he lived and the mighty discoveries he gave
10 the world were not received But when CALICO
turned his Telescope TO the Heavens-when he found
the Moons surface covered with inequalites-when he
found Its ragged mountains nging their shadows far
across it's surfacewhen he found rising and setting
he demonstrated fact which shook the faith of the old
Astronomers They had believed these mighty globes
above to be spheres, smooth their surfacethe
abodcs Of the gods and circulating about their great
center the Earth. And when CoPERSIcvs demon
sated that the Sun was the center II seemed as If the
mind Of would not permit this astounding revela
ton TO have a lodgment within H. There was pride
which resisted the idea that own Earth was not the
grand center Of the Universe.
But when CALICO turned his telescope upon Jupiter
he found three bright stars occupying position close
10 the planet which struck bis attention in consequence
Of their beauty and brightness On the following night
he again upon these beautiful OplecE ana mas
they have shifted their places What could this mean
Were they not fixed stars He watched for their ap
pearance the next night when 10 all these stars have
disappeared and there is occupying their places
new tar which not there before The conviction
flashed upon bis mind that these stars were Jour moons
revolving round this planet guided by It's attraction
Here a grand discovery Here was grand dis
covery. Here revealed, by the Telescope,
a miniature system, like own. But CALICO goes
yet farther and he finds by examination OF the planet
Venus, that IL actually presents the phases which Co
tod could dayn
vided human genius could ever reach out into space
sufficiently sT to watch the changes OF the planet Such
were the mighty things revealed by the Telescope
We are told that CALICO, after incredible labor sua
ceeded in constructing all instrument that msgnned
thirty times What would that Astronomer have SAID II
some seer looking deep into uturty had told him that
the time would come when an instrument should be
constructed that would magnify GOO times, an instru
ment that would pierce the depths OF space ana bring
out other worlds other systems other island universes
But yet all this has been accomplished within very
short time
have only time to touch slightly upon this in eresi
ing topic Ii was found impossible, IN attempting 10
consruc, powerful reracung Telescopes, TO overcome
certain difficulties The light In passing through me
first lens was refracted and separated into is primary
colors which could not be restored In instruments
OF long focal distance found necessary TO raise long
poles to support the instrument and to enable them %
turn the object glass different points IN the heavens
Owing 10 the incOnvenences attending the use OF these
Telescopes Sir Isaac Newton gave up the hope oil ever
making them available and turned his attention TO the
ine Telescope But the discovery was soon made thai
by combining two pieces Of glass OF different sharaetsr
crown and flint glass that double object glass could DC
formed and one OF the glasses correcting the nueneeoi
the other by their combined action formed eoioIiess
image As soon this discovery was made nothing STOOD
in the way of pereetng the Reiractng Telescope Atns
period the genius of tRAVESHoFER was directed 70 the
mechanical construction OF the mounting OF the Iees
cope He established hnseliin Munch where aided uy
his sktul partner UTscHNEIDER he constr aeted ses
cope with obectglsss nine inches IN diameter Two
three four tive inches had been the hmi Prev /
ously But this not all When the o0cc,sisss was
nnished Il became necessary to mount II TO i've 70
conriyance which should enable the observer 70 "ae
with accuracy the movements oil the Stars.
There is one difficulty 10 be overcome by the % !
server Ia attempting to mark, with precision ue
motion of the stars namely When by applying hlsh I
power 10 tie Telescope. magnify the object luoo
times the rslociiy OF the object Is increased IN M
same ratio which renders IL 1000 times greater t-@
II is h the naked eye star located the Equator
rises in the Ess rsveTses the heavens aud sets IN me
West in twelve hours. Now II magnify thai object
900 nes the velocity is increased 1900 times and II
would rise and SET in the twelveihoassnd,h part OF
twelve hours which Is about The third part ct second
Now 20 follow tbs swift motions OF these msgnned 90
T. and 10 me asure the mir ate distances BY which
some OF these stars sepsrsed nom each Other re
Qnired some instrument that would MAKE me ooJeei
s.TI nh