The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-03-04
THE LICK OBSERVATORY
ITS Site Favored Spot-SuitabIe Atmos-
pheric Conditions.

Before Mr.. Lick changed his board
! OF trustees be grew distrustful OF the
| site which had been se.e,tc on the
| borders Of Lake Tahoe and chose an
other on what Is now known as Mount
| Hamilton The latter is a prominence
IN the Coast Range of California, forty
| tqur hundred feet above the level of
! the sea, and some fourteen miles in a
| straight line east of San Jose.
The view from the summit is one Of
the most commanding in the United
! States. Through a ravine towards the
| west the spectator sees the city of S n
Jose, its buildings dotting with white
the beautiful plain in w-ich it is situ-
| ated. The view Of the Pacific Ocean
beyond Is cut off by range of noun
tains. Toward the north the eve takes
in vast region, covered with innumer-
| able hills, half mountain and half field.
| In very clear weather the peak of
| Mount Shasta may be seen at Il dis
tance of more than two hundred and
| fifty miles. On the east, above the
neighboring hills. a fine view of the
| outlines OF the Sierra Nevada range.
one hundred and thirty miles distant.
may be obtained at sunrise On the
| peak about the same height as Mount
Hamilton. Between the two noun
tains lies a raVine more than q thous-
and feet deep. Snow and glaciers are
wanting, SO that the views do not COM
pare in magniticence with those OBJ
tanned in the Alps. but the clearness of
the atmosphere partly compensates for
| this by the extent and variety of the
field which the eye takes in.
The astronomer is not concerned
with the earth, but with the heavens;
and an elevated station IS of no use to
him unless it brings some advantage
i'll looking upward. Other circum-
stances come into play to such an ex-
tent that the mere gain of going above
mile of the atmosphere is compara-
lively slight, and, as matter Of fact,
| many of the finest observations have
been made at sea-level. Notwith-
standing the clearness of the air, doubt
was thrown upon the suitability of the
sight for astronomical observations.
| Observers had reported a current of
warm air rising up the side of the
mountain at night sufficiently strong
to carry a sheet of tissue paper out of
sight. Such current would be fatal
to astronomical observations, and it be-
came important, before commencing
the building, to have a thorough trial
of the atmosph ric conditions made by
competent observer.
The astronomers who We're consulted
| united in recommending 5. w. Burn
ham. OF Chicago, as the best available
judge in the case. This gentleman, al
though an amateur in the science, has
gained a worldwide reputation by the
discovery, with an eight-inch. tele-
scope, of a great number of double
stars which had escaped the scrutiny of
the Herschels and the Strives Long
practice at Chicago in all sorts of at
mOspheric conditions fitted him to rec
ognize good conditions more quickly
| and certainly than one who had devot-
| ed himself to more widely extended
branches of the science.
In the summer of 1879 Mr. Burn
ham accepted proposal to proceed to
California with his telescope, and spend
several weeks in surveying the heav-
ems from the top of Mount Hamilton
The month of August found him in
stalled III a little observatory which
had been designed and erected by Cap
tain Floyd. he results of his exam
ination exceeded all expectations, and
| an astronomer has seldom had occasion
to make SO enthusiastic report as that
of Mr.. Burnham. Not only were the
| atmospheric conditions of the finest
kind, but night after night the astron-
omer enjoyed such views of the heav-
emily bodies as Chicago offered him
only few nights in the year The
nf nl, lot
the very finest nights for seeing are
few in number; the man who can Sc
cure dozen a year would be consider
ed extremely fortunate. Even one OF
these favorable nights might not re-
main so for an hour. But at Mount
| Hamilton that steadiness of view which
| is so rarely to be found at less favored
| spots generally continued through the
| whole night. Whether the future as
| tronomer who shall sean the heavens
| from this unsurpassed spot with an un-
rivalled telescope will enjoy during the
whole year such weather~as occurs dur
ing summer and autumn can not be
| foreseen; but even if he does not, he
will be more than satisfied with the
years work which he can perform dur
ing the favorable season.
| As bearing on this subject we may
cite the observations and photographs
| of the transit of Venus taken at the
Lick Observatory in 1882 by Professor
d. P. Todd. These proved to be the
finest photographs of the transit ever
taken. The skill of the astronomer
was indeed very requisite to the
worG; but this would have availed
nothing had the condition of the at
mosphere been unfavorable. Alto
gether, we may assume that, so far as
mere looking is concerned, no existing
observatory is so fayorably situated as
that now being erected by the Lick
trustees. Simon Netcc0m6, IN Harper S
Magazine for February.