Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-29
STELLAR WONDERS.
HOW They May be Unfolded by the
Greater TELESCOPES.


From the London Telegraph
All the discoveries OF ancient astronomers
were, OF course, effected without the aid of
glasses, and Pliny, In his ninth book of the
Aimagest," quotes fourteen observations Of
Mercury. dating 200 or 800 years before our
era, ana still to be relied on. They had, no
uouot, good eyes in those days. when every
pody except the astrologers went to bed with
tne sun. and rose as soon as he appeared. In
the tail OF ursa Major, the middle star has near
IL small companion styled on the celestial
charts "Alcor." The Arab observers knew this
Dy the name of 'Saidak," which means
.toucnstone" or "trial;' for If q man could per-
celve That tiny point with the unassisted eye he
eud ,h see the small stars of the Pleiades
ana the satellites of Jupiter.
enI tr must, however, also remember the purity
ana transparency of the eastern sky, especially
orbs shine with briliiancy quite unknown to
western astronomers. Copernicus, 1t is related,
iamented In the hour of his death that he had
which the happier Greek observers called "Stil-
oon, the ''splendidly shining" and one Of the
mOst promising points in connection with this
ereat new telescope In America is that it will be
Perched upon mountain peak, tar above the
gust ana mists of the lower world-lifted into
Prof. Tyndall has celebrated upon his hiph
aps when we cali to mind the
SCIENCE oy such comparatively inferior instru-
ments as even those of Lord Rose, Mr.. Lassel,
and the elder Herschel, we NAV be full of hone
tnat me california astronomers will astonish
anG oellent the old world with new discoveries,
when some new planet swims into their KEN"
Iney can hardly be in time for the two comets
which are to be in their highest brilliancy about
May 10Th next, and not much further from the
earth than the trifie of 15, 900 900 and So OOO,-
unresolved nubule at which the great glass will
no sooner be pointed than we may expect to
nave those ,ss distant mysteries instantly "come
SlipktS int lov iocr ~
stars and systems; and outside Uranus and
Neptune, the latter being distant from us
cast glance in the border world between our
farthest planet and our nearest star, and per
haps find sister for the single moon of Nep-
tune. ana tell US why the four moons of Uranus
Ariel, Umpriel, Titania and Oberon-dance
backward in the eternal minuet OF the skies
ana nave planes perpendicular to the elliptic OF
the mother body.
There are, indeed, endless points upon which
astronomers seek such Information as improved
cially ii the enhanced powers of this teIescone
can be welded to the faithful eyesight of the
Photographic camera. Wonderful things have
been achieved of late in such q way; spaces of
the midnight sky blank to the ordinary lens or
mirror, nave revealed to the sensitive film of
the plate myriads OF starry bodies. The GRIM
son cressets on the suns ridge have depicted
themselves; his spots have registered their peri
odlc passage, and the time approaches, appar-
enLy, When an automatic astronomer will be
invented which will Chronicle every event Of
the spheres with sleepless accuracy. We want
10 know much more OF comets, OF nebulas and
oi tnose curious little members of our system,
the piantoldS, which perpetuaIly increase in
number with closer observation, until they
nave grown up during the present century to
more than $50 known and named bodies.
Ihey wander as obedient to law as the very
largest planets, between Mars and jupiter tiny
lsletS OF the sapphire ocean, small children Of
the cosmos, the biggest not much more than
Soo miles IN diameter, few OF them SO bulky as
10 be visible without a telescope.
Are these little silver bees OF the system mere
UTOKen fragments OF some Intermediate nlanpt
or nave they been seriously created and have
they been take1. up with revolution and CRAWL
tation, and all the rest OF it, on their own &C
count, and for special purposes? To answer
Ihal ana many another question of the kind
may, COUNTESS, in American phrase, click the
LICK grass. but more and more, as aStronomi-
cal conceptions expand, are they silently affect
ing morals, thoughts and religion. We see
innnIiy Ind grasp eternity when we look forth
into the starry space. The visible universe is
paipaoly bound!ess, and implies an invisible
universe of which it is the shadow, the symbol
and the imperfect provisional expression All
!altns hitherto delivered to mankind have been
Flolemsen, pre-scientitc built the theory
OF accepting t-that the stars were set in
heaven 10 light this little o, the earth +" round
which the sun goes daily. Faith has not vet
glass" let alone the gigantic lenses of Mr. james
LICK. BY and ty mankind will understand, as
well as hear OF, larger ideas. 1t will be better
understood why the Divine Teacher of GaliIee
SAID: In my Fathers house are many man.
sions," and why the wise East has always in.
sisted upon evolution and progressive life for
all which lives before Darwin ana Wallace were
heard o. Astronomy and religion have yet to
compare notes and to look through the same
teleScODeS