New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-23
AMATEURS IN ASTRONOMY.
DEVOTEES OF A BEAUTIFUL SCIENCE.
RECENT DEVELOPMENT OF POPULAR INTEREST
SOME FAMOUS ENTHUsI AsTs-How TO PICK
OUT A GOOD SMALL TELEs'

| OUT GOOD SMALL IELf@>OOII'
The most casual reader OF the leading newspapers OF
this country have noticed rapid development Oh
popular interest in astronomical subjects within the
| last few years solar and lunar edpseS. remarkable
sun spots the approach and probable behavior Of great
comets the discovery OF such new stars that In the
constellation Aurga the November shower oil me'eoIs
the canals Of Mars. the finding Of new satellite 81
Jupiter and numerous kindred topics discussed
by the non.sclentilc press to extent and with an
Intelligence not at all half generation ago
while every month many Of these journals announce at
considerable length the chief ncldents-con functions.
oppostions and the lke-which the observer Of the
starry heavens may look for during the next few weeks
Besides this class Of literature there are also more
comprehensive popular treaiises, like that dclgDtni
work OF Garrett p. ScrvisS. Astronomy with an opera
Glass" for the guidance OF novices In this fascinating
study IN some respects more helpful than the text
books Of academy and college The desire for further
knowledge which has thus been excited ranges through
many gIadaions from the nantic but reverent seiti
mcnt "rwinkle twinkle little star. How | wonder
what YOU are !" TO the absorbing passion OF such an
lnstrous amateur astronomer the late LOWS Morris
Rutherfurd who the first TO classify stars accord
ing 10 the lines they exhibited In spcctroscope and
whose magnificent photographs OF the sun ana moon.
taken more than twenty years n his private oil"
scrvaory in NewYo City, still the admiration oil
professional astronomers.
one is tempted In connection with this TO dilac on
the other amateurs Who began modcstly and without
ambition but have become eminent in this science
There is f. f. Barnard, for instance, not long ago
photographers assistant in Nashville earning only 80
4 week and even then the owner OF one of John
Bvrne's tclescopcs-a beautiful jinch class-and now
the chief observer al the Lick Observatory lie l. the
man year International fame by discover
ing a new satellite Of Juptcr's. Then there Is Garrett
p. Scryss. for years journalist on the stan OF III"
New York sun" but also n popular writer ana talher
I..lttf F.r
Carnegc's rIania entertainments American adapta
ton Of Meyers famous Institution in Berlin for pop
ularizlng science. Mr.. scrvi>> with only 3'-7'nch
glass, Observed the big red spot Jupiter som" twelve
or thirteen years ago. almost simultaneously with TN
first discovery by professionals. and before he h""
any one also had noticed it. And thcr" Is Professor
George T. Hale, recently called TO the charge Of the
astronomical work Of the University OF Chicago. ana
hcnc. no longer amateur but FOR several years dong
excellent work his private observatory in that city
founded to crafty his own personal taste.
Bmt II Is not these more advanced specimens OF Tie
amateur that this article is intended To- describe nor
such men a. the Brooklyn millionaire. ~ Congressman
AMI broker. the Hon. :. V. Willie whose ialr' IL Ia j.
ness year ago after extensive operations In corn ana
rcccn, settlement Of his obligations in peculiarly
honorable way lave attracted Widespread attention
Mr. White has long fen lively interest IN astronomy
and la, In observatory upon m> prvai" residence IL
Bioolyn a l. inch -la,~ made hy liu. that was mace
originally for the University OF Michigan. These men
though more numerous than one might suspect. form
only small -harc + the whole number 81 cnthuia~'
cerrymen, editors. lawyers. doctors. tsidcsm"n aud
artisans: not al Of them o. the st"Tncr sen either
WHO posses som,thlne better than an op"rrea io-
sndyn- the stars else hope ere long - DO ,0 per
sons VINO having caught clmp-c Of S1tnrns rln-' @.
having cazcd for frw minute, upon the great uchuln
in Ohon-a wosld In process 90 formation ont o star
Or having seen a double star resolved into g.
differently cOlor,d cpmponcn-, through some one else
instrument have asp.rcd TO own one Themselves. so
ouchcd IS the IN rs bic by thee aut -. when
once introduced t. them. and 10y the awful inhhc' 81
time and space with which astronomy deals Nh'h
one considers how clcvatng diversion this Is. ana
what wholesome contributions ii makes 10 The intel
lcc,ual life OF u family club community. he d.
oosd 70 encourage such conditions and coyctou,nss
Nobody should buy even small 'r' -fuV', however
without .oine preliminary knowledge 81 d." c,-"ntin
feature, Of such an instrument. An outlay Of ""'n
.lJO and - l. fOJ -eroDs matt 20 no amateur
f. allow Of hlgude,in-. some pre'ln MS "i'""H n
lnalniancc with tho dealer through whom the pirhA'"
d, made. T. desirable often Tho b'-t IT, ulis can l'
cured bv dealing directly with The maker and This j.
an easy mattcr for Americans sine" the bot ea--'-
d, ,h world arc pioduc,d In MI, country. II on" tells
he mailer ju-, what he want, and how much be- can
,,av and is wiling to walt Il month or siN Wcfl'. =
telescope can De- made 10 order which /, likely 10 be
superior 20 the imported ready made instruments, &c
a.lonally one pick up glass made by an "\p'r
Il established reputation, second hand ~ s-ht IT,
d,con I'm price but hc," chances do not occur Often
II /, upon the object Slas, u telescope that The
utility NJ the instrument mainly dcpcLd- ami thcrr
arc only three or four men out of Americas MANY
million, that have the ccniu, requisite for perfection b.
I, delicate wor.,. II would be- virtually lmpo-,ihl"
"a, say IN find anywhere a match, IN Til, special skill
in manipulation when polishing. for John Byfn". 81
New. York: John A. Ba,lcar, Of Allegheny. and the
I
George both now dead and the late Henry iitz. Of
Xow York possessed that GIFT Allen Of Providence.
n his day was also a famous expert Ana huih"F-
furd whose name astronomers pronounce with r"V'r
enco put the finishing touches on som" Of his own
classes himself. But among experts one j. continually
hearing Of such stories this: Tie Oinch t''sc"p"
exhibited at the Philadelphia Exposition by Dallm'ler
the famous British manufacturer Of Photographic
lenses was bought by a well known New York dealer
fl, optical APPARATUS. Charles Lcmhkc. in Mon
square hut when Eu,hcrlnrd examined II i" dis
covered defects I'm the object glass which needed cor
rcction John Byrnc, once an assistant Of lilz. aud
a Union soldier. and now recognized rs on" OF the
few first cl1ss makers Of the world, was employed hy
Loml,ko 10 rcctify the error. He able 10 do 80
I'm n single night. and for that task received 500
T., me who /, now in Lcmb,c's regular employ. Ia
done several similar things although he prefers. Of
course 10 make glass from the beginning
one Of the chief defects Of object glass T. that
II modii"s the color Of Hight coming through II LAT
pure white star viii seem To the observer To have
vclIowI.h or llni-h tingc. This Is Il serious matter.
for the precise shade Of color I'm star Is one Of the
important subjects Of study with both amateurs and
proie. sionas. Again. the form Of geographical feat
nrcs Of IA planet Of lunar mountains and cratcrs and
Of sun spo should accurately represented. Figure
f. as important rs color. 1t Is I'm one both Of
those RESPECTS that most detectives, especially cheap
ones are deficient Finally. the degree Of magnylng
mower secured by the cyc-piccc which one may use
i'm any instrument depends upon the quality OF the
objec glass. The very best product OF telescope
makers skill will. under favorable atmospheric con
dltjons-a steady clear ar-admit Of 100 diamcicrs In
power to every inch Of diameter In aperture That Is
an eye piece magnifylng 400 times can be used
effectively with a perfect 4inch objective. although
ordinarily pOs,css6r Will not try over 80 or 800
sometimes perhaps. low powers like - or 80 But
with poor object glass, even under the best circmm-
stances the Image viii not appear sharply defined
under high power but viii be fuzzy and Irregular.