New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-01-25
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.


writing TO The London Observatory, gives vivid pie
CT Il ceaness OF the atmosphere ON the elevated
plains OF the VEST II the night OF July 80. he
says, our last NIGHT at Las Animas The work on the
eclipse was DONE tents had been despoiled, and the
instruments packed The day, like the Goth, had been
one OF the cleares in that high reeiOn and the
night was one the like OF which one may seldom see
For some time enjoyed IL alone; but the views were
so surprisingly grand and beautiful that (weary as
knew he was) last called out Professor Eastman
Then Dr. Schuster out and aferward Others until
almost the atire party felt kindred enthusiasm as
they gazG up aud around those starry depths. The
MILKY Way crossed the meridian near our zenith, ana
from a point northeast OF The Swan, down the grand
slope OF the southwestern sky, there was " marshang
Of the heavenly hosts" scale Of magnncence and OF
exhaustless riches which never forget The two
uous branches OF tho MlkyWay resembed distant
parallel CHAINS OF hills covered with purest snow whle
between ran a dark broad belt, like great winding
river flowing on In silent beauty between It's snow
crowned cliffs. One popularity noted was the nulner-
Gus alterations Of bright ami dark patches in the
Galaxy. In place OF the continuous misty light when
alone arrests the attention in ordinary atmosphere
the Milky Way was broken up into very diversified
OF bright ridges and sardecked regions and
void spaces approaching to backness IN the contrast
surprised the number OF these dark spaces ana
the contrast between and the contiguous bright
regions WAS not unlike that between the bright region
surrounding Theta Oronis and the dark void east and
northeast oft as seen in the telescope Two of these
dark spaces were prominently noteworthy. one IS
inst little north Of Aphd CWnt Arided ana me o,ner
il Sagittarius, east of Alpha ScOrpu tAntares The
shape of this last very peculiar having me appear
Lambda Jrse MINORS, test object for natural
vision. easily by every one as 10 occasion
Paul the Naval Observatory, surprised the company
by announcing that he distinctly saw one OF Jnpiters
satellites Several others testified with equal positive
ness. and uniformly agreed in its position An opera
glass brought out aud the satellite was seen in the
the conclusion Dr. Henry Draper that the steadiness
OF the image is at all improved at these high alti-
tudes.
MARS AND SATURN.-A remarkably close
conjunction Mars and Saturn takes place the 30th
OF June next When at their nearest approach the two
planets will only be separated by minute of are. an
interval so small that to the unassised eye Mars would
to occult the more distant Saturn. Unfortunately
this phase OF the conjunction occurs at about p H.,
NcwYork time that will be invisible here as well
as in Europe. hut will be in Australia and similar
longitudcs. 1t has been calculated that Mars will ap-
pIOach closely Saturn as TO cross the orbit OF
Japcus the outcrmos OF Saurns moons, and pass be-
tween that satellite and its primary Japeus however.
VII probably not he Occuted. Sir George Airy, the Eli
gsh Royal calls attention to this conjunc-
tOn and suggests various points 20 be noted by those
proach. Among these Il comparison OF me color OF
u hep near Mars it, color has been found to be sap
grceI-probaby eject OF contrast due tn the blaze OF
ruddy light from martial visitor The last close con
junction of the TWO planets occurred on April Is 1917
TIE HELIOTROPE IN GEODETIC SURVEYS
Professor L. NJ Haupt describes IN The Journal OF the
Franklin Institute, the OF the hootrope In reflect
ing the suns rays distant points and thus facilitating
the reading OF angles either horizontal vertical
lines OF from fifteen to 90 miles long Its construction
simple that il be made by any schoOboy with
penknifc. Two Opaque screens are placed about
eighteen inches apart upon strip OF wood forming
base and screwed nailed fast hole about one inch
in mi IN n,
in rear being little larger than the other, and across
each there should be drawn two fine wires or threads
TO ntersec each other About six inches In rear
OF the screens there should be placed small mirror
three inches in diameter will be suilcient-so mounted
have the motions horizontal (or in azimuth)
and vertical Tor in altude The crude instrument Is
then ready for operation To throw the ray upon any
given object visible to the unaded eye turn the mirror
down out Of the way or remove 1t altogether and sight
the wires, moving the base until the line joining
the intersections Of the wires passes through the
object. Then replace the mirror carefully as not
to disturb the line OF sight, and turn it in either or
both directions until the shadow OF the edge OF the
hole in the first is cOncenrc with that in the
second The reflected ray will then be visible to an
observer at The given point Although so simple and
inexpensive this little instrument serves TO Increase
greatly the economy and accuracy Of reading angles
TO very distant objects. The reflected from il are
miles and with Telescopes these day stars have been
at distance Of nearly hundred miles across
Lake SUPERIOR when trace OF land was visible. BY
adopting convenient code of long and short asnes
pon TO point TIE Morse code is as convenient as any
other but for simplicity conventional code expressing
certain sentences ny few flashes is found to answer
the ordinary requirements or heldw WORK.
AERIAL TELEGRAPHY.-PrOfes LOOMS,
Of Washington, appears to he still enthusiastically car
rying on his experiments in aerial elegraphy i'll West
Virginia Aerial telcgraphy is based the theory
that at certain elevations there is natural
electric current, by taking advantage OF which
wires may be wholly dispensed with. 1t is said
that he has teleSraphed far as eleven miles
by means OF kites flown with copper WIRE When the
kites reached the same altitude got into the same
current communication Ivy means Of an instrument
similar Morse instrument was easy and perfect.
but ceased az soon the kites lowered He
two hills about twenty miles apart,
and from the tops OF them up steel rods into the
region OF the electric current The Professor announces
that he has recently discovered that telephone
be used for this method OF communication well tel
egraphc Instruments and that OF late he has done all
his Ia king with his assistant, twenty miles away. by
telephone tae CONNECTION oe, i aefiY 1hy ie cns
than those necessary to reach the elevation of the cur
rent There seems no immediate probability, however,
of our getting without poles and wire and ocean
cables
OCEAN CURRENTs.-PrOlessOr Z0ppritz, of
Giessen has investigated automatically the question
whether ocean currents produced by the winds.
one OF the main objections urged against the theory
that ocean currents due to the impulse OF the winds
is that the winds can il is alleged, produce only
face drift whereas OF the currents extend great
depths. Mr.. James Croll high authority this and
kindred subjects, has always maintained that this o5ec
ton IL erroneous that II the surface of the be
impeed forward with a constant velocity by the wind
or by any other whatever, the layer Immediately
below will be dragged along with constant velocity
somewhat less The layer underneath this second layer
will in turn also dragged along with velocity less