The Portland daily press., 1894-06-14
MOVEMENTS OF The STARS.
An Important Astronomical Work by
Prof. Rogers of Colby University
lZion,s Advocate.l

Two large Quarto volumes, one printed in
Waterville, and the other in Leipzig, Ger
many, are before us. They are astronomical
works, prepared by DIR. William A. Rogers,
professor of physics and astronomy in Col
by University, and formerly assistant profess
sor of astronomy in the Observatory con-
nected with Harvard College. These works
form a part of series giving the results of
thorough survey of the northern heavens
undertaken by an association of astronomers
under the auspices of the German Astrono-
mische Gesellschaft
The significance of these volumes will ap-
pear from the fact that the most serious
problem which confronts the astronomer
at the present time is the determination OF
the direction and the character of the mo-
ton of the solar and stellar system in space.
Whittier the planets and the countless stars
in the heavens are drifting no one knows.
Formerly it was believed that the star AL
cyon, of the Pleiades, was the center about
which all the stars in the heavens revolved;
but whether this motion is in a right line,
or whether this or some adjacent constella-
ton is the focus of an elliptical motion
which the system of stars has as a whole,
can at the present time only be guessed.
The great difficulty of the problem lies in
the fact that the direction and the amount
of this motion only be determined by
the exceeding slow motion in space of the
individual stars. Or in the language of the
astronomer, by the proper motion of large
number of stars distributed symmetrically
throughout all parts of the heavens. The
difficulty of the investigation will be realized
when it is stated, that these motions are SO
small in amount that many years must
elapse before they can be certainly detect
ed by the most refined observations.
The Astrnonomische Gesellschaft, about
1866 invited the cooperation of astronomers
in an attempt to secure the necessary data
for the solution of this problem. They IN
dertook the exact determination of the po-
sition of all the stars of the northern heav-
ems down to the ninth magnitude. Differ
ent zones or belts having width of five de-
grees sswere assigned to different astron-
omers. The zone from zero degrees to five
degrees declination was assigned to the
Dudley Observatory at Albany, N. Y, and
the zone from so to 80 degrees north of the
equator was assigned to Harvard College
Observatory. One zone was assigned to
Cambridge England Observatory and the
remaining zones. were taken by Continental
astronomers.
DR.. Rogers has from the beginning had
charge of the Harvard College zone. The
work of observation was begun on Nov. 10,
1870 The observations were completed in
1856 and the reductions have been in progress
since that time. Five volumes containing
the original observations and the resulting
stellar positions have been published. The
sixth and seventh volumes are now being
printed at / he office of the Waterville Mail.
Since his connection with Colby University,
DR.. Rogers has had the entire supervision
OF the work, and he has discharged his i'm
portant duties with great ability. In recog-
milton of his eminent services not only in
the department OF astronomy, but also in
that of physics, Brown University, in 1891,
conferred upon Prof. Rogers the honorary
degree of Doctor of Laws.
DR.. Rogers has been aided by assistants
furnished by Harvard College Observatory.
The graduates of Colby have had large
and honorable share in this work Miss
Mary E. Farr, and Miss Mary E. Pray did
large amount of the work of computing DUR
ing their Junior and Senior years, and Miss
Edith Merrill, after her graduation in 1888,
became a regular appointed assistant of
Harvard College Observatory, a position
which she filled with great credit till she
was compelled by i'll health to change her
occupation.
Nearly one-ha1f of the catalogues made at
other observatories have already been pub
lished. The Harvard College Catalogue is
the fourth in the series.
1t is proposed to repeat this work after
the lapse of one hundred years. The syste-
matte study of these two great catalogues of
stars, separated by so long an interval, will
undoubtedly furnish sufficient data for the
exact determination not only to the stellar
motion in space, but also of the laws under
which this motion takes place.
While, therefore, these broad pages, with
these columns of figures. have little or no
meaning to the general reader, they have to
the astronomer very important meaning,
and century hence they will possess a
value far beyond that of many publications
in which we now take an interest. Prof r og-
ers has not only honored American scholar
ship in the preparation of this work; but he
has connected his own lapors with those of
like earnest and patient scholars who shall
succeed him in the study of the great prob
lens of the universe.