The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-06-12
The National Observatory.

We nnd the following brief descriP-
ton Of this Washington institution in a
late number Of the Oakland COAL)
Times. A trestled staging on wheels
moves around the walls Of the telescope
room in the National Observatory, and
a sliding seat, that can be run up TO the
roof aud down to the floor, gives them
an advantage, at whatever elevation
their object may be. No pleasanter occu-
patton for a starry night could be found
than to sit up in the armchair and look
through the largest telescope in the
world. The instrument cost $40, 600 in
all; the great glass at the end, six
inches thick and twenty-eight inches in
diameter, cost $40, 900 by itself. The
glass was melted and cast by that cele-
brated firm in Paris that has such a
long name, and ground end polished at
Cambridge, Massachusetts,. 1t consists
of one piece of ground glass and one OF
greenish flint glass, closely joined to-
gether, and the polish of its surface is
most perfect. The great steel tube is
nearly twenty feet long, the large glass
at one end, and a combination OF small
but powerful lenses at the eye-piece.
The balance of the great instrument is
so exact that it swings obedient to the
slightest touch. A clockwork arrange
ment moves it with the object it is ap-
pointed, so that having once set it to-
wards the moon the telescope will fol-
low it in its triumph across the heavens
from horizon to horizon.
The clouds nebula in Orion, through
it, was resolved into four bright-colored
stars forming a square, three smaller
ones in the same position as the larger
one in the belt of Orion, and an inirm-
ity of small lights and pin-points in
vista of millions of miles. The double
star in Castor was flashing and burning
with its bright orange and purple fires,
and great Sirius, the dog star, was
globe of golden orange light, 80 beauti-
full that one could believe this gold star
to be a window of heaven. Aldebaran, the
bright star of Orion's shoulder, was a
bright red lantern hung in the sky, and
the elusive pole star was cold, shivering
twinkler off by itself. Down below was
shown the delicate transit instrument,
across whose spider webs the passage of
sun, star and asteroids are watched, the
latter most accurately, for the use of
surveyors and navigators, who take
their bearings from them. The sidereal
clock, which keeps infallible time, is
shut up in metallic-lined vault, and a
roaring fire is kept going winter and
summer to keep it always free from
dampness and at one temperature The
pendulum of this perfect timepiece
swings over ball of mercury and at
each stroke spark flashes and is re-
sponded to by the click of telegraph
instrument in far-away room. By this
accurate stroke of seconds every clock and
chronometer in the building is regulated.
The chronometer room contains over
fifty time-pieces in wooden cases. These
have been sent from the makers here,
and after being kept year with every
variation recorded and extremes of tenn
perature applied to them, they are ready
to be taken on board men-of-war and
government vessels. At high noon
every day, just the second the sun
crosses the line, black ball is let down
from the top of the high, white dome OF
the observatory, and by this signal the
citizens set their clocks and watches to
ball time, as it is called.