Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-04-15

| uIcuIs dIe even more interesting and won
derful. They have found that there are
many nebulous masses involved in the
group of the Pleiades, and have photo.
! grapned them. Oae Of tn most amazing
| phenomena in their great photograph of
the Pleiades is long wisp or streak of
nebuious matter, along which eight or
nine stars are strung in manner which
: irreslstibily suggests an intimate cou-
nectlon between the stars and the nebula."
The fact that this famous group is envel-
| oped in nebulous matter, which seems to
mlngle with its stars, renders these lines
IN Ieunyson's ''Locksley Hall" ever more
| impressive and significant
"Many night 1 saw the Pleiades, rising through
the mellow shade,
Glitter like swarm of ire-hies tangled in silver
braid. -
| 1t the operation of making Z" The incon-
slant moon" sit for her likeness seems won
derful and almost Incredible; still more
marvellous, and also more difficult, is the
process OF taking pictures of the stars, for
the moon Is so near and bright that it is
comparatively easy to obtain photograph
| OF her disk; but most of the stars are so
tar away that only after long exposure
Will they succeed 10 impressing their image
on the sensitive plate used for this purpose.
I
lcate operation, special care must be taken
to exclude all light except that coming di-
rectly from the stars, for this would act on
| the prepared plate and obliterate the i'm
I age; anu 1t Is also necessary that the tel
Escape should be moved smoothly and
guided by the most perfect clockwork, so
as to follow a star and keep it always at
the same point of the plate during the long
| interval that the exposure must be contin-
ued. Professor Ball, the eminent Astron-
omer Royal, of Ireland, in recent article
| on . Photographing the Heavens" says:
. Even though the plates are the most SEN
sitive that can be manufactured, it is often
advantageous to expose for a period, not of
| seconds or inmates, but actually of hours
| On some of the wonderfulEpictures which
| Mr.. Isaac Roberts has obtained, stars will
! be seen that have taken not less than four
| hours to engrave their little marks on the
plate.
1t is gratifying to know that America
is far ahead of Europe in this new and
marvellous science of celestial photography
| Englishmen of since who like all English
men have a keen eye for the detection of
) specia! excellence in the work Of their own
| COuntrymen, now admit this fact, and
they say that the photographs of the moon
taken by Professor Lewis NJ Rutherford,
of New York City, are superior to those
taken by their own DeIarue, who is so
eminent an astronomer that one of the
oceans on the planet Mars has been named
after him Professor RutbcrfoId's lunar
photOgrap hs are 50 fine that they can he
sufficiently magnl fed to furnish a b, tier
view OF the moons rocky scenery Iuau
many amateur astronomers can Lbtain
with the full power of their telescopes
Mr. 5. W. Burnham, the famous double
star observer, OF the Lick Observatory.
has for several years past ben perfecting
himself In the art OF photography with the
purpose OF applying it to astronomical
observations, and IN this work he has
been very successful. He is a skilled
amature photographer, and al the recent
meeting OF the National Association of
photographers held In Chicago, the gold
medal was awarded to him above all the
professionals In attendance. He will now
have an opportunity to test his skill with
the excellent Photographic lens of the
great Lick telescope on mount Hamilton
California important work will be accom-
plished by him. A recent writer re-
tering to the Photographic work of Mr.
Burnbam, III magnificent article, says:
I'm the matter of instantaneous photo
graphy he has few rivals, and with his
portable camera he has Travelled through
Europe shooting pictures from steamboats,
and railroad trains. A competitive prize
was offered In England for the best in
Simultaneous photograph. In a spirit OF
fun be sent some pictures, and a first prize
was awarded him. The subject was a cat
In the act OF sprlnging upon a bird. In
late years he has studied photography in
its application to astronomy"
Mr.. Burnham is considered excellent
authority in this department of research,
and in a valuable paper on 1.-The Camera
for Celestial Photography, a copy of
which he kindly furnished the writer, he
says; There is this difference between
terrestrial and celestial pictures: In the
| former we rarely get as much as we can
readily see with the naked eye from
the point where the picture is taken,
while Ill the latter we can easily get
Infinitely more by prolonglng the ex-
pour. If the 10 lowing j
perfect, and the camera is accurately
focused, the smaller stars will be exceed
lngly minute specks, and if the exposure
Is an hour and upward there will be thou
sands OF these tiny points scattered over
the plate where perhaps only score or
two of stars are visible to the naked eye,
while not dozen of them could be seen at
all on the ground glass of the camera.
Lantern slides from such negatives
are more wonderful and interesting than
any other stellar photographs. When
thrown upon the screen it is difficult for
many to believe that such wilderness OF
stars could be really photographed with a
lens, through which not one in a thou
sand could be seen On the ground glass. y"
! Mr.. E. E. Barnard, of the Lick Observa-
tory, has also distinguished himself as a
celestial photographer, and has obtained
so.ne excellent pictures of the m ky way
| and other portions of the heavens, made
| with an ordinary portrait lens tied to the
tube of six inch telescope.
| An attempt has recently been made to
obtain a number of photographs which
| shall cover the whole extent of the heavens,
and the task was one of the most stipend
Gus magnitude. 1T was necessary to divide
| the great survey among a number of
| observatories, both In the northern and
southern hemisphere, for the work had to
include pictures of the immense star clust-
ers aAd consultations of the south which
are never visible from this part of the
earth. The great photograph chart Of
the heavens, made by circle of iuterna-
tional observers, was taken last summer
during the months of June and July. The
astronomical congress In Paris had pre-
viously settled all the necessary arrange
nents, and the important work was car
ried out admirably. Some excellent tele.
scopes were specially constructed for
this orpat nbotoorapbio ourvav and