The New York herald., 1877-02-17
A COSMOSCOPE.
AN INGENIOUS APPARATUS WHICH SHOWS THE
PROCESSION OF THE EQUINoxEA

AN INGENIOUS APPARATUS WHICH SHOWS THE
PROCESSION OF THE EQU1NoxEA
Last Monday evening Professor G. B. Boyle exhibited
before a few prominent members Of tho American
Geographical Society very ingenious instrument Of
his own invention which shows the procession Of the
equinoxcs tho portions OF the globe which are llum.
mated by the sun at all Of the year, and, OF
course, in every point Of Its orbit The instrument
also shows the gradual variation OF the inclination OF
the earth's to the ecptc, and the circle which u
would make In the heavens in the course ofa grand
cycle Of time, $4,000 years The following descrip-
ton Of this phosophic application OF the mechanical
powers IS from the inventor hnself:-
DESCRIPTION OF rnE INSTRUMENT
The instrument was suggested by conversation 0t
Chief Justice Daily with tho inventor upon tho subject
OF the procession Of the equinoxes and though was
originally designed to render literal Interpretation OF
all the involved in that phase OF our sarths rela
tlon 10 the SUM- yet presents with equal precision all
,he other facts OF motion and thor attendant pho.
nouena The sun is represented by name. situated
= few inches above tho centre Of round table upon
which is figured q chart, bounded by the
twelve signs OF the zodiac The outer end vi slender
ann extending from the centre - surrounded by
globe upon which the light emitted by the flame 10
condensed by lens As this light steadily Iumnatcs
the hem sphere Of the globe which Is turned toward IT,
and as the which the globe roates poised
angle of inclination TO the plane OF its orbit
as that OF the earth to the plane Of It's orbit about
the sun II follows that precisely the same phases Of
illumination are presented upon both globes. The
rising and setting OF The sum- tne changing lengths OF
day and night in different Iattudes, the changes
OF the seasons, the long polar night and
day. are all seen to occnr In their proper
oracr OF succession. The cccentrioty OF
the orbit with the OF the ioci Of the cl-
pse and the shifting OF The direction OF that
tricny among the stars 10 also presented when the
mimic added the eclpses o. that body and oi
the sun present themselves, the shadow OF the
passing across the globe, first the pole and al
successive iunation lowers down until passes
of al the opposite pole, thcncciorward the shadow of
the moon passing into space clear or the globe until
the combined mutations bring back the period Of
ccpscs, thus presenting the facts succcssivcy ~ they
occur IA nature An additional arm carries comet
the centre as TO nearly Craze the mimic at
It's perheIion. whence departs TO its apheiion dis.
tance In tar of space thence returning before to the
SUM- u Nt
rREcEssfoS TIM xouIxoxEs.
AT the instant tue globe Is passing its verna equinox
bell Is struck--a single blow, which, al cach revo.
luton OF the globe about the centre calls attention
TO that fact so that the observer may that tns
globe is In It's equinox al the stroke oi The bell and
note also that tue equinox has slightly shifted 10
place upon the cclpc--reccded upon the star chari-
gone backward III the sign OF the zodiac In which u 10
then occurring, which slow shifting inay carries the
cqunoxcs ahoHt the circle OF tho hcavons, and
AZ the same time, changes the direction OF tue globes
axis OF rotation which returns tprs original direction
when the cauiaoxcs return " their original position
among tha