The morning times., 1895-12-02
GREAT CAFE TELESCOPE.
Interesting Results Expected From lts
Work in the Southern Heavens.

Work in the Southern heavens
We are glad 10 learn from the recently
published report of Dr. pavid Gin. the dis
tinguishe,i director Of the Cape observatory,
that considerable progress has been made
in the construction of the magnificent pho
tocraphic telescope which is the munifioent
gilt of Mr.. Frank Mexican. The instrument
is being built by Sir Howard Grubb OF
Dublin. and it is expected 10 toe c''fnpiete'I
before the end nf 1896.
The object glass with which the phut"-
graphs are to be taken has the ample
diameter of two feet. The dimension Es no
doubt somewhat surpassed by that NJ the
sunerb new Greenwich objective ats-i The
work OF Sir Howard Grubb. The new cape
telescope viii. of course. he also eoBsii-
erably less, so far as mere diameter ~
obiect glass is concerned, than the LICK
telescope IN California, 0r the stili larger
Yerkes instrument at Chicago
But the special feature about the great
McClean refractor, which VIII ere IInS De
directed to photographinG tue southern
skies is The circumstance that IT Is to De
ricidly bound up with another great re
tractor of eighteen inches aperture Tor
visual purposes. The two viii form, 10 fact,
a mighty double-barrelle'i apparatus
a mighty double-barrellcri apparatus
In the focus of the larger The photographs
are TO be taken. while the smaller or the
TWO tubes viii he used by the astronomef
who IS guiding the operation so as 10 seep
the images of the stars continually On the
same points of the plate. Instruments on
the same principle, though OF "a very much
smaller class are, OF course, BOW Wen
known Indeed 1t is with arrangements
of this kind that the great photographs
survey of the heayeus a. present ID progress
Is being conducted.
But the dimensions of the great cape
Photographic apparatus are in every re-
spert double those OF the corresponding NJ
strumen.s employed at present. AstoSo-
mcrs awaie with much Interest the applics-
ton 10 th cSouthern skies OF this mag
nificent apparatus, and they VIII heartily
congratulate the donor, as wen as Dr.
Gill. on the prospect of us completion
That eternal lack Of pence which vsxes
public men is not unknown In our scientific
institutes, and DR.. Gill comments Oh the
ipadeuuacy OF the staff which he pos
sesses 10 deal with the cver-i increasing
volume of work In the Cape observatory.
II may rot be generally known that this
establishments, though situated IN soou
Africa really belongs not 10 the cape
Colony, but TO the British Admiralty IL
discharges on behalf of Great Hitain The
functions of observing those Southern stars
which are invisible from Greenwich.
An interesting investigation of one Of
these Southern stars, namely, the IaInouS
object. Alpha Ceutaurt, which is the near
est star to our solar system. has recently
been made by Mr.. A. ". Roberts. This
object consists of a pair of suns, eecil
OF which Mr. Roberts finds To be about
the same weight as our own iuminary.
One OF the two componemepts of Alpha
Centauri is as bright as the sun, while the
other has only One-fifth OF the luster. u"
this extent the latter object appears TO ne
| approaching the status of "A mere planet
| in attendance upon its bI iliant neighbor.
Sir Robert s. Ball i'll London Graphic