The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-04-07
THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF ASTRONOMY
IN THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS.

One hundred years ago tomorrow night, on
the 18th of March, ISL, great astronomical
event occurred. In the garden of q small house,
in Bath, England, an amateur astronomer was
sweeping the skies, by means of q twenty foot
| rejecting telescope, hard at work ON his cata-
logue Of stars While examining the small stars
in the constellation of Gemini, his attention was
attracted to one that appeared visibly larger
than the rest. He had never seen il before, aud
it was not registered in the catalogues of stars.
Quickly applying high magnifying power to
the mysterious visitor from parts unknown, it
presented sensible disc, and proof was soon
found that it changed its place among the fixed
stars. The astronomer was Herschel; the un-
known star was the planet Uranus. No suspicion
of the glorious discovery he had made entered
the Observers mind, and the highest flight to
which his fancy SCARED rested in the hope that
a stray comet had entered his field of vision.
The tidings of a new conner IN the solar broth
erhood spread over the world with the rapidity
of magic. Plain Mr.. Herschel, of Bath, the ma
gician astronomer, became famous and honors
clustered aronnd him during his peaceful and
useful life, till in his eighty-fourth year, he
passed on. The first result of his discovery was
his appointment as private astronomer to George
Ill, with an annual income sufficient to allow
him to devote his whole time to astronomy
This was followed by a royal appropriation of
$4,000, to help him build telescope forty feet
in length with four feet aperture. Scientigc So
cieties WED with each other in lavishing upon
him the honors at their command; the Universe
~ of Oxford conferred upon him the title of
LID; he received the Copley gold medal for
the discovery of Il new and singular star he
was made President of the Royal Astronomical
Society; and he was knighted by the King.
But, unelated by prosperity, and unstaned by
worldly distinction, he held on the even tenor of
his way, studying the heavens every starlit
night, adding to astronomical discoveries, and
contributing to astronomical annals with the
ardOr of an enthusiastic observer, and the wis
dom of q clear sighted philosopher. HIS modest
eulogy on himself was: 81 have looked further
into space than ever human being did before me (;
have observed stars of which the light, it can
be proved, must take two millions of years to
reach the earth"
The discovery of Uranus was the most remark
able one that had taken place since the inven-
tiOu of the telescope. No one dreamed that the
boundaries of the solar system wonld be en-
larged. The six planets had been known from
time immemorial, and these, with ten moons,
were supposed TO form the complete family of
the sum- Never was the scientific world SO ia
ken by surprise, and never did astronomer
joce in the result of his labors. This was his
glorious reward for countless nights of Observa-
ton under the stars, for tireless determination
to learn the construction of the heavens, for in
defatigable devotion to astronomical science.
Universal attention was bestowed upon the new
planet. Ii first received the name of GeOrgium
Sidus, (Star of the Georges,) in honor of the
King; then that of Herschel Neither of these
proving satisfactory, it was finally called IRA
nus. Its orbit was approximately obtained, and
its place in the past computed, when it was
found that it had previously been observed no
less than nineteen times n fixed star, and that
Flamstead, Lalande or Mayer might have been
its discoyerer, if they had only known the value
of the prize they failed to grasp. This brilliant
achievement stimulated astronomical discovery,
and made a lasting impress on the records of the
succeeding 100 years. Herschel contributed
again to the honorable record by discovering
two moons to add to the dignity Of dramas, in
lsS5, and by detecting two more moons for Sat
urn the very year his monster telescope was CON-
pleted, in 1883 The first year of the nineteenth
century was marked by the discovery Of the first
ssteroid, and the number of these little bodies
has now swelled TO 20. The grandest of all dis
coveries was made in 1S46, when n second outre
planet, Neptune, was added to the suns rctinue
of worlds, its pretence being felt, As il were,
from disturbances in Uranus, and its position
mapped ont by two observers before it was
found. The latest of leading events was the dis
covery of the two moons of Mars, in 1871. An
additional or eighth moon for Saturn, two addi-
tional moons for Uranus, and 4 moon for Nep-
tune, deserve place on the list.
Wonderful are the records of the last century,
though we have but touched on the most momen-
tous; wonderful are the keen perceptions, the
mathematical acumen, the selfremuneration Of
the men who devote the silent watches of the
night to patient, assiduous, ascetic observation.
But among them all there is not one whose name,
radiant with starlit fame, will be held in more
W
Herschel, the astronomer and philosopher, who,
a hundred years ago, discovered the planet that
trucks its distant course beyond the bounds Sat
urn, and has made little more than one revolution
since il became a known member of the solar
scheme.
If the discoveries of the hundred years to come
equal those of the hundred years that have
passed, blessed will be the astronomers who
tread the Earth when the second centennial an
niversary of Uranus occurs. The nineteenth Gen.
tury is drawing toward its close, and ii may be,
that the total eclipse Of 1900 will prove, beyond
a doubt, the existence of the mythical Vulcan,
and other planets within the orbit of Mercury.
Even before that time, the one or two planets
trembling ON the verge of possibility beyond the
boundaries of distant Neptune may be found to
have tangible existence, while brilliant discov-
cries of which we little dream, may signalize the
far-seeing power of some of the grand telescopes
that are being built, when welded by eagle-eyed
astronomers from observatories rejoicing in the
clear atmosphere Of mountain summits.-Proci-
deace Journal, March IL.