The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-10-30
PhOtosraphing the Moon.

An unusually interesting meeting of the
New York Photographic Society was held
a few evenings since, at Which DR.. HENRY
DRAPER, son of the distinguished DR.. JOHN
W. DRAPER, Professor of Chemistry in the
New York University, read a paper upon
his arrangements for the Photographic de-
lineation of celestial objects, which was
listened to by large number of most in
telligent photographers, and many gentle
men interested in the art. From Dr..
DRAPER's elaborate statement to the So
ciety, which is full of interest, we make
the following extracts:
In the autumn of 1858 determined to make
the largest rejecting telescope in America Its
construction, together with the various i'm.
provements successfully added, has occupied
me up to the present time-more than five
years. The instrument, which is nearly six
teen inches in aperture, and thirteen feet in
focal length. was intended to he devoted TO ce-
lestial photography, and consequently contains
many novelties, especially fitting it for that
purpose. A description Of it was read at the
Oxford meeting of the British Association in
1860 1t has since then been completed. and
has the largest silver reflector of any instru-
ment in the world except that in the Imperial
Observatory in Paris. The Smi hsonian Irsti-
tute is preparing to publish shortly full ac-
count of it. which will contain the entire de.
tail of construction.
The instrument has heen in working order
for eighteen months. but q large part of the
time has been unused because of my absence
with the Twelfth regiment in Virginia. and on
account of the duties of Natural Science Pro-
fessOrship in ffie University.
With my fathers prof j. w. Daper) as
sistance. l have. however. taken some very
fine photographs during the past summer.
Changes have becL made in the Photographic
processes commonly used, ir order to fit the
pictures for bearing high magnifying powers
l have negatives which can be enlarged by a
power of thirty-twO without showing granu
lation or other defects to an offensive degree
The photograph which show you tonight
is nearly two feet in diameter. and is magnified
to two hu dred and ten times the size of the
moon as seen by the naked eye 1t is the
largest that has ever been made have now
another. however, still larger, in my observa.
tory-nearly three feet IN diimeter-made
under a pOTer of three hundred and twenty
it represents the moon on scale of seventy
miles to the inch. In the picture before YOU
attention should be directed particularly to the
Apecnine range. Copernicus with his rejecting
streams, the great groove from Tycho the nu-
merOus crat'rs with an internal cone the ir-
regnlarities visible in the bottom of the Mare
Imbrium. But it is useless to particularize-
there is an almost inrXhaustible supply of sub.
jects for study and admiration.
The society will see that, although celestial
photography may be as Yet only in It's infancy,
it Is rapidly advancing. Every day is giving
origin to Improvements and even now the
limit of size in these pictures is rather owing
to the great expense and difficulty of working
such enormous plates than to any intrinsic de-
feet of the images to be cOpied