Morning journal and courier., 1882-08-19
Yale's New Observatory.

Its New Telescope The Finest of Its
 Kind i'm the HVorld-The Building-The
 Professors Restdences-The Transit of l
 Venus.
 The new observatory connected with the ! neurological bureau of Yale College, on Pros l pect Hill, is nearly completed. The land for the observatory purposes IS the gift to the college of the late Lieutenant Governor Win chester and of the late Mrs. Hillhouse The site is one of the finest that could be found in the State for the purpose. The erection of this observatory and the purchase of fine new heliometer and fine new telescope mark notable step forward, alike gratifying to the son of Yale and all interested in the progress of scientific inquiry. The observa- tory has been erected during the long college vacation now drawing to close, and the stu dents will have new cause for pride in this new departure They will find the two cir cular towers, each 40 feet in height, up | we'll as the main building and the dome upon l one of the towers, the heliometer tower Both the domes are purchased of the Grubb' ] Brothers Dublin Ireland. They are each 15 1 feet in diameter One, as stated, is in posi- 1 ton, the other is expected in few days, to- gether with the new telescope. The helio- meter is the finest of it's kind in the world. It Is for making delicate and accurate measure ! ments. It is an object glass IS inches in
 diameter, mounted equatorially and pro-
 vided with 8 complete equipment. The telescope is also from the Grubb Brothers,
 Dublin. The observatory building Is built of North Haven selected brick and is sub
 stantial, we'll built structure, forty feet in oA1..r l keeper will live there. The observatory
 stands in the field just north of the Winches- ter residence. One of the towers is near the
 brow of the hill overlooking Whitney avenue.
 The other, which is now connected with the
 main building, is between the main building
 and Prospect street, about 200 feet back of
 the street. The site as stated. is exception
 ally fine for making astronomical observa- ! tions and commands lovely landscape view } in all directions. Two dwellings have been 7 erected on Prospect street near the observa. tory. They will be occupied by Prof. Waldo t and his assistant, Mr. Robert w. Wilson
 who are the officers of the observatory. They 8 are handsome, roomy residences of the cot
 tage description. Nothing will be lacking 1 for the proper equipment of the observatory 1 The observatory has new telescope mad . l in Hamburg, Germany, which cost $7, 500
 ! and when mounted the expense will be about S $1O,OOO The heliometer tower is nearl e l ready for use and work with it will be prose 1 cuted very soon by Dr. Waldo and Mr. Vii ! son of such kind as will prepare for the best a l possible use of the new instrument in Decem . ber next at the transit of Venus. The situa : ton of the observatory is exceptionally goot l for observing the whole of the transit. Tn
 transit of Venus occurs on the 9th of Decem e Der. Connecticut has special interest i n this event, as both at Yale and a |, Hartford observations will be made r. AS has been stated a colony o
 German astronomers will make observation !. from Capitol Hill, Hartford. The even s will, moreover, have great interest for tn a scientific world generally, because 1t is tn II last opportunity that any of the present ii , habitants of this footstool will have to wit n ness passage of Venus across the sun. T " the majority of the people of the universe If ! who immersed in daily toll over the prot
 lem of securing the necessariss of existence
 this event does not come home with sue
 force as the price of coal or provisions. Asid ! from this fact, however, tens of thousands ( ,i the reading people will take a lively interet 1' in the event.
 = This generation is especially favored ,s having the chance to witness two transit
 one having occurred in 1874 The transi
 occur at irregular intervals of and 1051 an
 and 12Oa years. The next to occur, aft, =. that of this year, will be in the summer A 2OO4. The last transit preceding that of 1Si was in 1769, and it's observation was the fir re ! astronomical observation of record upon tn ar ! continent This was made by Benjamin We ,d in Providence in observatory erected f.
 the purpose upon what IS BOW known
 ] Transit street.
 The most important results thus far s
 cured were those of the last transit in 187
 when some forty stations in Asia and u 1T, South Pacific were occupied by European a1 ad American observers. The principal object or the work is to secure data for accurately es ,xo l mating the distance of the earth from u 50 sun. The task of making the observations A. comparatively simple one, although in O2 character complex. Every detail of the pas t,s age is carefully noted with the most dellca , instruments and from the data obtained u os skilled astronomer laboriously works out u ne size of the orbit of Venus and t. he length of it's radius, and the distance of t co earth from the planet. Having obtain he these facts it is comparatively easy to col mi l pu1e the distance of the sun from the cart on The part taken by the American astron a mers in the observations of 1874 was high ed creditable to the scientific progress of u ,te country. They were remarkably success1
 in photographic work, well as in the cal
 ful observation of every detail. The SC
 ernment appropriated $15O,OOO for the wor aic and thus enabled the most eminent Of o iel astronomers to make the long journey a "a do their work in the best manner
 t>o eSh1 Ia Svn