Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-31
THE NEW ASTRONOMY.
Telescope For Its Needs Growing in an
English Workshop-Largest in the World.


Science.
As we become accustomed to celestial
phenomena. we find large number of
faint appearances, upon the interpreta-
ton of which our knowledge of the forces
at work depends: for instance, the de-
lection of the carbon atmosphere sur
rounding the sun, foreshadowed by
Archimis in 1875 by the detection of the
bright carbon band in the blue of spec
trum of the zodiacai light, inferred by
Lockyer in 1873 from comparison of
the solar and electric arc spectra, indi-
Gated also by the observations of Schus-
ter and Sohag and by Abney in 1881, and
finally worked out line by line by the
large instruments and Photographic
methods of Rowland; or, again, the faint
bright lines detected in the spectrum of
many stars, affording new ideas both as
to the cause of the variability of the
stars light and the classification of
stellar spectra as worked out from the
study of meteorites by Lockver. We find
also that we are not dealing with con-
slant things; change and change again
are the only law. AS the gravitatiOnal
astronomer reaches his conclusion by fol-
lowing the changing positions of the
heavenly bodies, so the physical astrono-
mer must watch its ever changing APP
pearance. Recall to mind the discussion
over the well known comet spectrum,
one astronomer averring from personal
observation, deserving great respect,
that the line belonged to the carbonic
oxide spectrum, while his rival assured
us from equally trustworthy sources that
it was nothing if not hydrocarbon Sci
70 ,I,1 n l.. ,,rrt,+
slight change in the density of the gas
being sufficient to change the spectrum
from one to another. Our knowledge is
therefore far from complete till we have
substituted the series for the single OBJ
servation. But the human eye and the
human brain are not sufficient-nay ;,
are sometimes DISQUALIFICATION
complete and accurate detail
are desired. Our attention is attrac-
TED by the points roised by the current
theories of the day; and much is left I'M
noticed, or, if sought, is missed because
one did not know where to look. The
history of the discovery of the solar
prominences, easily seen, after discov-
covery, by the same observer, using the
same telescope with which he had pre-
viously been unable to discover their
Photography to-day supplies a rem
edy. In the hands of master skilled
both in the manipulation of the emulsion
and the dye, its effect is not slight; its
advantage, much the same as a balloon
would give the voyager in the frozen
seas-showing at a bird s eye glance what
years of travel could not show. By it we
may carry our best telescope, and our
hest spplSi into homo and school
room, forming in his very youth the as
tronomer of the future, who shall work
without telescope or observatory, rem
dering him frmiliar with those appear
ances which, not so Many years ago,
unclaimed his ancestors. From its scien-
tiffc side, of what great value has the
chance delineation of the tails of comets
have been in the hands of Bredechin? 1t
is not every telescope which is fitted to
this end. 1t must be pre- eminently q
light gatnerer, which demands large
sized object glass, with the attendant
mounting, and yet possess the ease and
accuracy of motion Of a sylph. 1t must
be of great length-thirty-ti or forty
feet-and yet from end to end have
no mass of metal which could produce an
air tremor. Yet such an instrument
the Ell Dorado of full many an astrOno-
mer-to-day grows in the workshop of an
English astronomer. Seven feet in
diameter, and of great thickness, is the
rejecting mirror; forty feet in length
from end tie end. Yet tube it has practi-
cally none. Tons in weight, it follows
the steady pressure of your little finger.
Pedestal it has none, but floats
upon polar axis like large
war ship; this polar axis being
little else than a large boiler, so arranged
that, "should it be thrown into the sea
in given latitude, it would still point its
axis to the pole With an instrument
of less than a fifth its power, Common s
well known photograph of the nebula in
Orion was taken. With one of less than
seventh of its capacity, the nebula in
the Pleiades was discovered. The
wonders reported from Mount Ham.
ilton shows us what we may expect it
to disclose. The instrument is secured to
us through the esprit of well known as
tronomer. Is it not possible that among
the readers of your Journal may be found
many who would contribute something
toward its endowment? Of all our OBJ
servatories, there is none that is popular.
Can we not make the largest glass the
world has yst seen popular?