The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1849-04-24
From the Virginia Historical Register, for April 1919.
TIE NATIONAL. OBSERVATORY.
BY L1rrrESANr NJ. F. MAURY.

BY LIErTENANT NJ. F. MAURY.
When the American IeOple in their
national character undertake anything,
they never do it by halls es. Their Nat
ioual Observatory is furnished with Il most
splendid set of instruments. There is
but one observatory in the W, rid superior
to it in this respect And when | was
ordered to the charge Of il, felt that Il
heavy responsibility had been imposed
upon me. 1t is post that | never sought,
but being assigned 10 me III the line Of
duty, ! could not az an officer decline with
:. propritty. | knew that the public ex-
/ pecied il so 10 be conducted as To afford
results the most useful to the world and
cfedltable to the country. Therefore, be-
sides the observations already alluded t.,
| resolved to give effect 20 a iavorlte idea.
and To commence catalogue of lie stars
upon plan which, when complete, would
afford work which thought would not
be altogether unworthy of the Nation.
With splendid instruments, and Iudus-
trious observers; with beautiful skies, and
more of The heavens above us thar! tney
in Europe have, arrangements 'rerc COM
menced for a catalogue of the starry hest
upon larger scale, and a more oompre-
henSve plan than had ever before been at
tempted by any single astronomers. The
want OF such work has been felt for ayes.
do not mean to intimate that there
are no catalogues Of stars; but | mean to
say there is no catalogues Of the stas that
are visible at any enc place. Nor is there
any one catalogue. which, besides magni-
tude, r. A. and Declinaiinn,' gIfe3 also
colour, angle Of position and distance.
with maps Of the bnfatJ srsgeshs, and
clusters of the stars with dfaviags Of the
Nebule. There are Catalogues, 100 nu.'
merous to mention out The most extern
sire are Lalan1e's, Strives and BesSel 5.
Lalande's was commenced in I7oJ and
ended in 1901. Il extends from The North
Pole 10 the Tropic of Capricorn, and con-
ains about 5000 stars, but j. gives postum
and size only down 10 tbs ninth magniiudr.
Bcssel commenced in 1921 and finished in
1898. He worked from As n. 10 l5= S.
Defamation, ard obtained Il lisl Of about d.
600 stars TO which lie assigned position and
magnitude only.
Strives is the most extensive catalogue.
by far. of the ,Innble stars. 1t gives magni-
rude. colour, angle OF position and distance;
but il does moi pretend 20 be a conn rie cat
alogne even Of all tie double STARS that aie
visible in Russia and yeI it is cOnsidert Is
one Of the most valuable contributors Of tie
age TO Astronomy.
The plan finally adopted for the Wes hing.
ION Catalogue, was TO penetrate regularly
and Systematically with some one Of ourpow-
erful Telescopes, every point Of space in the
visible heavens, for the purpose not only Of
determining accurately the pnsifion ol every
star, cluster, and nebula, that the insiru-
menls can reach. bun for The purpose also Of
recording magnitude and colour. with an0ie
of position ind distance OF binary stars. and
Of making drawings and giving descriptions
Of all clusters and nehulB And for This. ar
engagements were commenced in 1918.
Now il nay be asked. why make iliS work
30 extensive ? Why comprehend in il OBJ
Iecis shat never have been, and never can be
seen 10y Tie naked eye?
The answer is ready with reasons aburd-
ant The heavens, like the earth, are ole
dient 10 the great law Of change The stars
are undergoing perpetual change. some
change their position, snme vary IN 1iarhi-
tude. some in colour, and some have blaZed
forth IKE flaming meieors in the sky. daZ-
Zled the world, and then disappeared for
ever.
The appearance Of new star in the fir
manent induced Ilirparrhus before the Chris
rhn era 10 undertake The first CATALOGUE,
" hich although lost 10 the world was pro-
duct.ve of great prac ricaI gooG. Piolen'y is
said to have borrowed over freely from H.
In November 1872, Il star appeared ~ at
once in great spIendor II surpassed Sirius
in briancy, aud WAS brighter rhan Jupiter
in perigre. 1t could be seen in the day lime,
with ne naked eye, aud after two years il
passed away and disaI peafed. It's place III
he sky is now vacant. II induced Tycho
Brahe to undertake his catalogue.
II may be that there is now, al this very
lime, in the firmanenI above, a world on IRE.
Eta Argus well known star in the South rn
Hemisphere. has suddenly blazed forth, and
from sta. Of The 2nd or Ord magnitude: now
eieres with the brill ancy Of the first.
Ii is mans boast that he vas made to look
rlnit: for his alone is The privilege TO pry il
To NATURES infinite book of secresy,n and
ran il be- therefore. proai;less to him and Of
no value to posierity TO survey the skies, map
The STARS and contemplate the eternal flow
ers OF heaven
The generation trail succeeds is always
wiser than that which precedes, for This be-
gins with knowledge. advancement. and dis
-overy where that left of Our ancestors
gathered lacis. aud recorded observations,
which in our hands have become clues guild
ng 10 knowledge. or leading TO discovery.
Shall we do less? He who las the priv
ege OF inIerrogatins nature in the name OF
society, and yet fails TO preserve her answers,
is regarded BY the scientific world as one
who betrays hls trust and thereby wrongs
the living and defrauds posicriiy: -