The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1890-09-05
THE TELESCOPES.
What They Tell of the Planets, Especially
Mars, which Is Supposed to be
Inhabited.
New York Herald.)

|
which he pointed towards the heavens, q
by letting the world know what he had ii
covered through it. But for Calico
his investigating, iDquiring, indepcnd
mind the telescope invented Desorc
time would have done nothing fowai 2
progress Of the science. But. on the or
hand. without that invention Gaiileo 49,.
have discovered neither the moun;a.n
the Moon, nor its phases, nor the '2o'
the Sun. nor the stars in the Mix "
nor any other of the great discover,
which the world is indebted to him
one word, he would not have tran>lor
the science of astronomy
THE MAN AND TIE IS,rEtMINf.
According to the value of the mal --
the value of his instrument. But !.
capable of using instruments arr .i
sary. instruments are also nccos>ars
William Hcrschel, Schroeder. Fiaul
Araeo. Lasscl, Dawes. Lord Ro--. e
Dc La Rue, Sccchi, Darlington. iin-
Hall, Burnham, Jansen, ~chs-s
Pickering and their rivals iii a,ta,...
obycrsations, only made thu
discoveries because they ha'i III ,I...
posal Instruments OF great
than those used by their pf.e.
We are just now traver>ins a great
| in the history Of science. AT. -u.
inc stationary during more ita
century, the science and tlc
are at present making gtcai fai
strides forward.
Three great tclcscopr- l. ....D,.
been successfully constr .n
which would have secme
dream to our predecessor
them were constructed ~
the Observatory Of Nice, has
ing of sevcnty-four centmclt.-
| length of eighteen metres Ia u.f,
equal to 39.37 inches. and cc:ii.a.
course, being the hundrcdtH rar
mctre); the second, at the Uhsc
Boulkoua, has the same diauc'..
somewhat smaller opening. "hich.
son of the character OF the mount
measures seventy centlmetrc>. la
shorter focal distance. and III c
teen metres; the third. at the OH
of Mount Hamilton. California l.a
objective lens with an open
nincty-scvcn ccntimctres. and q Co.,.
tance and length Of fifteen mcire-
magnificent instruments. We see.
very fact of their successful constr
have proved that il sufficcs 10 he
order to succeed. and have demo-
that we should not he satisfied VIII,
that it is possible to go even !ur,t
it not Il natural ambition foran
to penetrate further and further
depths of the infinite, and allow 81.
to determine the nature of othel 0
to lift up a corner Of the veil thu
from III the immense MYSTERY OF
ton.
STILL GRANpEE TNLE>Corr.
1t is hardly four years since TIE i'-',
mcnts Of which we have spoken wcir
pletcd, and already opticians aye ai
on Il lens greater than all three OF
lenses, which will have a diameter az
than metre The lens OF the obscrr
of Mount Hamilton measures thin.
inches, or n;uetv-onc ccntimcir">. 90
aperture Now u lens OF forty imc,.-.
one meter diameter, i, desired and
constructed. This objective i COM
as every one knows, OF two lcnscS. az
flint, the other Of crown glass. ju>tli
mutually completing each other Us r.
optic properties, producing AZ perieei
chromatism as is pos 'iblc.
This objective lens is being mA...
the University of California and the
sc
Angeles, where Mr.. Pickering has rec t
obtained some excellent phoroetapu-
The Moon, Saturn and Mars. On
these latter heavy fall OF snow Il
ccivcd, which in twcntv-tour hours
cred on the planet Mars an extern
face "a vast rs the area Of the
States. Ii is easy 10 understand r,a
of intelligence and feeling, who ud,r--
the true grandeur of humanity.
take a deep interest i'll such pro-
this. We have the right To bc in
and feel kccnlv. Astronomers ar,
position of Moses when hc WI
sight Of the promised land.
POSSIBILITIES OF onsLGvAIlo>
For example, We have Mars BET.
ewes. All the observations nadc
lead W. TO think that this planet
inhabited as il our own. and pcrht
better inhabited. We see in i, c1ait.
seas, coasts. capcs, bays river.
SHOWS and clouds We wituc~,
effects produced by the seasons
distinctly rectilncal lines. eNicuai
seas to seas. and putting ihcm
munication, which seem 10 lie cans
has even been thought that hriilan
gcomctrically arranged. have oca
served which may lie intended rs
from that planet 40 ours, How. ri
possible not to wish for comp,i
quest and to attain at last 10 so.at
the enigma?
FUTURE POSSIBILITIES.
Well, now, if that objective !.i.-
inches Is cast and successful con
4 new and gigantic stride torwala
made. 1t is ROW no longer anythm
than Il question OF money t. con-
equatorial telescope with diau
one metre and fifty ccniimcigc-
length Of twenty-five metres. MAJ.
in cupola larger than the dom
Paris Pantheon. and with ma
power of four or even FIVE ih"u-.
To what unexpected discover.
this supreme effort of Your great niI
century lead? This is u qucStion
is impossible to answer. but w"
! right to dwell on the word "uneN
1t must not be forgotten rha; it
searching for the limits Of Oh"
the solar spectrum that Frarut.f
covered spectral ANALYSIS. and tlf
while seeking the paralIeN of :
that Sir William Hcrsc,el disco
orbits of the double stars. and
when seeking for Asia that Chr
Columbus discovered America
In any event such a telescope
able us to see for the first time H..
teenth magnitude stars. which
scattered over the depths OF hca