The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-08
soMs VIEW BooKs
A Bson Of ,hs s.sr..

= 1ooH ~ Us HtsF@
During the six years that the great Lick tel.
sscope has been employed in celestial obssrva-
tion and discovery. Il has added immensely to
our knowledge OF things beyond the earth.
The director. Dr. EDWARD 8 HOLDEN has wisely
aimed to satisfy. AZ far as consistent with the
proper performance OF scientific labor. the de-
sire OF the general reading public to know
what IL accomplished with the most powerful
astronomical Instrument in existence. Hence
there has never been any mystery In
regard to the discoveries made and the
methods Of work pursued at Mount Ham
iiton. When such an event ss the oppo-
sition OF Mars In 1892, has attracted
wide popular attention the latest news from
the Lick Observatory has always been forth
coming without that appearance OF unsymps-
thetic reserve which too often cheracterizes
the intercourse OF the man OF science with his
lay coDtem poraries upon the earth. And this
has not been found incon sistent with the
preparation OF technical papers and volumes
OF high scientific value. OF such is the Pibh-
Gallons OF The lick Obserrdiorv Vol II. tSacra.
msnto State Printing ONCE 1904 The con-
tents of this volume. while mostly tabular in
form. com prise many facts OF great interest.
They consist prineipa Of double star ohser-
vationa made at { he Lick Observatory By S W.
Burnham from August. 1888. to June. 1902.
Any work Of that Mind bearing the name Of
Mr. Burnham is not only accepted without
question BY the astronomers OF the world, but
Ia treasured by them as an acquisition Of the
highest worth.
II must prove an exquisite delight to any
possessor OF a telesc ope. however small to run
over these long lists OF close double and BIZ
nary stars discovered with the 3fj-inch glass
and the measures Of other interesting stars OF
that class which had been discovered before
the Lick Observatory was opened. many OF
which. however. hay, mover been so we'll
mean eisevbere as on Mount Hamilton. And
such a reader, 10 he has not enjoyed the pleas
ure Of looking through the Lick telescope aud
the California atmosphere. cannot but picture
in his Imagination the harry state Of an as.
tropomer who can apply such magnifyinR
powers As 1900 and 1900 diameters to the
sta-s and vet beboid their disks 40 round and
clean cut that the m ost critical eve rests sats-
fed with their perfection.
Some Of Mr.. Burnham's failures to SEQ things
Iook.d for ara ia interes,inp and aipniacant a.
his suooesses in that direction. He has failed.
for instance. to detect any visual Indication Of
the cxistence OF the m ysterious co,npauiops
which speetrosoopto observations within thu
past fev years have shovn 10 be attached to
certain bright stars An TINT va can sny Ia
that ~ the Lick telescope does not show those
companions. then. except 10 the case of dark
bodies like the com panion Of Algol. they must
be so close to their primaries that no instru-
ment yet devised By man IN able to render
them separately visible. There /. a little star.
No e5 in the constellation Cetus. which used
TO hAvea minute comrade that Alyan Clark saw
with a 7x-inch tele,oope Dawes of England
saw Il in 1854 Burnham m easured Il twice with
the Lick teIescope in 1884 But in 1890 and
thereafter he could see Il no longer. try as he
would. This" he says. lis tho most mystic
rious and strange double star In the heavens.