Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-12-24
THE WORLDS GREATEST TELE-
SCOPE.

THE WORLDS GREATEST TELE-
SCOPE.
what she Huge Lick GLASS May be Ex-
pccsca 10 Reveal i'm tlAc Heavens.
From the New York Sun
The approaching completion Of the colossal tele-
scope OF the Lick observatory in California lends
interest to the question. How powerful will this
telescope giant be? The Lick telescope is to be by
far the largest refractor In the world. Those who
have seen the huge telescope OF the Naval obsera-
tory in Washington win be interested to know
that the Californian giant VIII survey the sky with
an eye ten inches broader than that Of the great
star gazer at the capital. The pupil OF the human
eye would have to be enlarged to q diameter OF
three feet In order to collect as much light will
fall upon the wonderful object glass OF the Lick
telescope AS the average diameter Of the pupil of
the eye is about one-fth OF inch II follows that
a man whose eye was large enough to equal the
great telescope in nght-grasping power would be
about one thousand feet tall The statue of
Liberty would serve him for cigar lighter, IL hung
up where he could conveniently reach It.
SO much for the power OF the Lick wonder to
thing though 1t depends directly upon the amount
OF light that the telescope can grasp An ofdi-
nary opera glass magnifies two and half or, at
effective even so low magnffying power as that
is when applied to persons and objects upon dis
tant stage and then he win at once perceive the sig
nfcance OF the statement that the smallest astro-
nOmfcal telescope will bear q magnifying power OF
two or three hundred diameterS The relation be-
ment, reckoned BY dlameters, and the apparent
distance OF the object looked at is very simple
II an opera glass magnif1es three .diameters, It
shows objects as they would appear at only one
third OF their real distance from the eve SO a
telescope magnify1ng 200 diameters would show a
man man, miie away , as ne Were standing within
telescopes constructed for astronomical purposes
viii stand magnifyfng powers like that, and more
ness Of the air near the earth, and the lack OF
illumination OF terrestrial objects the image in
such case would be more or less blurred and IN
to the moon brings 1t within an apparent distance
OF about 200 miles, and shows clearly the extinct
craters, the empty sea bottoms, and ragged noun
Now as to the magnifyfng power Of the Lick
telescope. 1t has been found that when the most
telescope object glass it win bear. under fayofa-
pie conditions, and for certain purposes, magni-
tying power Of one hundred diameters for each
Lick telescope is th1rty-six inches across; there
fore 1t should be able to stand a power of 1900
d1ameters, but only under the finest conditions.
Such power applied to the moon would bring IL,
when nearest to the earth, within an apparent
distance Of a little above sixty miles, Under the
moss ,a an object upon the
probably be seen with such a power as a white
speck. But ordinarily q power only one-half or
one-third as great as that could be used with adj
vantage. So as far as the ability Of the great
telescope to reveal them is concerned, the moon
might be swarmfng with Inhabitants who would
st1ll remain out OF the reach of our eyes. But IL
cities or other great artificial works existed there
they would doubtless be clearly diStinguishable,
ana should, In fact, long ago have been perceived
OF Mount Hamilton. The new telescope can, then,
only be expected to add little more evidence to
the PROOF that the moon is an extinct planet, a
world OF deSolatiOn, where all the great creative
forces have ceased to operate and nature seems to
have reached the end of her tether
But with the planets the case is different Re
cent observations have shown the existence OF
enlgmat1cal features on Mars upon which the
LICK telescope may be able to throw much light.
Its great size is not the only advantage it will pos
SeSS. Being placed upon mountain top it viii be
ABOVE the denser and more impure portion OF the
atmosphere, which is a source OF perpetual and
uncomfortable difficulty to astronomers whose
telescopes are situated at lower levels Then the
atmosphere OF the Pacific coast appears to be ex-
ceedingiy clear and steady, SO that an enormous
advantage is gained in that respect Here in the
East, and In England, and in most parts q Europe
an astronomer is lucky ii he finds dozen or even
pheric Conditions are good enough tn nsrmit. the
use or the highest powers Of his telescope ObSer.
VatlOnS taken on Mount Hamilton, the site of the
In year may be expected to furnish such Oppor.
tun1t1eS for frSt-claSS work. With such advan-
tages the great telescope should largely increase
the changes going on there which clearly indicate
That 1t Is an orb that is now in the act OF trans
formation from sun into a world.
With respect to the fixed stars or other suns
than ours, the Lick glass will readily prove its
superiority, on account OF its enormous light
grasping or, as 1t is called, space-penetrating
power. This same property, together with the
exceptionally excellent atmospheric conditions
amid which 1t is situated will enable it to reveal
new wonders among the nebulao, those stOrehouSeS
OF the raw material of the universe whose known
number is constantly being increased by modern
observers A brief account OF what has recently
been seen with the telescope OF thirty inches aper
tuIe lately mounted at PultOwa, in Russia, will
give an idea OF what may be expected from the
still larger telescope to be set up on Mount Hamil-
ton:
Finally the Colossus was turned upon the ne
Dua that is visible In the great trapezum OF Orion.
The spectacle was verify one OF incOmpar-
able beauty. In the center were seen six stars
four Of which shone more brilliantly than the
Others. Surrounding this group was what seemed
the head OF some enormous animal whose gaping
mouth was outlined by the trapeZum OF bright
stars. The greater portion OF the field OF view was
Strewn with tracts OF nebulOus light, which took
the form OF SpiralS, making striking contrast
with the dark regions. All was studded with
numerous stars, which seemed to add an element
OF life to an ensemble that no pencil could depict
The Lick telescope should enable us to penetrate
st1ll further into the mysteries OF this empire OF
chaos in Orion. 1t is to be hoped that its unri-
vailed powers will also be rendered available for
the work OF celestial photography, for, as some
recent achievements at the Paris Observatory
show, among the rays that a great object glass
collects are some that make no impression on the
images OF strange phenomena in the heavens
eXiStenceS OF an unseen univerSe-0f whose pres
ence we are otherwise unaware.