Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-03-09
VERMONT ACADEMY's NEW TELE-
SCOPE
GOV. FuIler's Latest GIFT TO the Ins;itu-
ton.

GOV. FuiIer's Latest GIFT to the Ins;itu-
ton.
The telescope which Gov. Fuller has so
generously presented to Vermont Academy
is an excellent specimen of the work of
John Byrne of New York, one of the few
men in this, or any country, who have
proved that they can make perfect object
glass for an astronomical instrument. This
glass, of four and one-half inches clear
aperture, has been thoroughly tested and
it is probably not too much to say that it
is capable of showing anything in the
heavens that is within the reach of tele-
scope of its size. The equatorial mount
ing is by Gall IL Lembke of New York,
with whom Mr.. Byrne is associated. Gov.
Fuller, being DESTROYS that the instrument
which he intended to present to Vermont
Academy should be of the highest quality,
was careful to place his order with firm
of telescope makers whose reputation
would, in itself, be a guarantee of the su-
periority of the work turned out by them.
This telescope will easily bear magni-
flying power of 400 or $50 dameters, when
the atmosphere is in satisfactory condi-
ton for astronomical observation. With
such magnifying power the moon is
UiOuEul Wlbhlu al dppdl0ht uloAdAANt VI
less than 600 miles. Under ordinary cir
cumstanaces, however, smaller magnify
ing power gives more satisfactory results.
With power, for instance, of 200 diane
tiers on this telescope, the vast craters,
strange mountain ranges and broad undu-
| lating plains of the moon are seen with
beautiful distinctness. The black shad-
| ows of the lunar mountain peaks, cast
] oprAcc tho mini hnrinn ltha M
| the older astronomers) are as clearly shown
as if they had been drawn with ink.
| Turned upon the great planet Jupiter the
telescope shows the huge globe of that
world, 1900 times as large as our earth,
streaked and spotted in wonderfulmanner
! The four moons of Jupiter are shown re-
volving around him, and when, as not in
! frequently happens, they get between the
sun and Jupiter, their shadows are per
ceived as little black circles slowly NOV
ing across his shining disk. The marvel.
Gus rings surrounding the planet Saturn
! are among the other interesting objects
which this instrument reveals Saturn, il
will be remembered, is furnished with nc
less than eight moons, and the Fuller tele-
scope, under favorable circumstances, will
certainly show six of them and possibly
seven. The eighth is so faint that only
the giant telescopes of the largest conserv-
atores can reveal it.
Among the double stars and star clus.
tiers there is an endless field for the EN-.
ployment of the powers of the telescope
The instrument which thu Academy now
possesses, through the governors generou:
kindness, will "split" double stars less
than one second of arc apart. A second
of arc is equal to the angular diameter Of
a silver quarter of dollar viewed at a dis
lance of about three and one-quarter miles
To such an instrument the resolution o.
the milky way into clouds of stars, anC
the detection of the multitudes of star:
that are here and there crowded into clus
tiers which seem like dim specks of light
to the naked eye, is of course an easy task
Indeed, so greatly has the art of telescop,
making been advanced in our day that i
is probably perfectly true to say that, witt
the new instrument at the Academy, bet
ter and more perfect views of many celes
tial objects can be obtained than were en-
ioyed by William Herschel with some o
the gigantic, but imperfect, telescope
which he constructed, and with who's
revelations he astonished the world.