The morning times., 1895-08-04
when the photograph has been
prepared from the negative plate,

micrometer when the photograph has been
prepared from the negative plate.
The scheme for shutting off and letting
on the light of the star is such that the
intervals may be one, two or three, or as
many seconds may be desired.
There is also valuable attachment for
the object-glasS by which only Il part of
the light of the larger staIs may be ad-
mitted Some of the stars Of the first
magnitude emit a strong light. A small
cylinder of aluminium is fitted on the top
with a series OF rubber vanes which, by
the turn of thumb-screw may be closed
inwardly towards the center, and leave a
space sufficient TO introduce only the vol
unle of light needed All OF the apparatus
at the lower aperture of the trasit is moved
by electricity, the clock which beats the
seconds keeping sidereal time.
The new instrument is compo sed of
phosphor-bronze, and is mounted on an
iron stand. the axis bearings being about
five feet high.
FACTS TO BE AsCERTAINED.
The special study to be prosecuted with it
Is the determination OF fundamental ght
ascenslons; the determination of the posi-
ton of double stars, and OF Jupiter's sat
elites
The transit now in use at the United States
Naval Observatory was constructed by Mr.
SaegmulieI, and has a length double that OF
the new Georgetown instrument, but the
records are not free from the difficulties
of the personal equation.
Some idea of the work done by these
instruments among the myriads Of stars
may be had when it is known that from
October, 1890, until June 20, 1892, the first
Photographic transit designed by Father
FaIgis took 5000 photographs. There
Were in this time only 1877 nights Of observa-
ton Under the old method the man di dthe
work: under the new the star itself is the
actor and its own historian.
There is another aspect in which this in
vestigatoI of the starry deeps may be re-
gaIded Telescopes are now only in their
infancy The biggest one in the world can
make out distinctly on the moon an object
of the size of ouI own Capitol II is as
certain as any lunary thing is that some fine
day an object glass viii be ground out big
enough to see the people on the moon.
THE MEN IN THE MOON.
They Will of course, present only the tops
OF theiI head to us, except when they are
swimming, OF on blind horizontal drunk.
1t is easy to attach the Photographic transit
appaIa atus, to the huge telescope of the future
and there you are.
Then again, as to the planet Mars, on
which, all the astronomers aver, there
are people and canal boats, the possibilities
of one of these monster reflcctors are simply
Immense. 1t will be much easier to take
snap shots at people there, for the reason
that the specific gravity of that planet
is three times less than that OF this old,
worn out, heavy, terrestrial ball of men,
women and bikes.
What has gravity to do with It? Just
this The men and women are three times
as tall as we are, and newborn Marian
baby weighs thirty pounds and is three
feet high at the jump. Photographs from
that land of tall women and gigantic
babies may not be valuable 10 astrono-
mers, but they would sell ike hot cakes
in our country.
But the planet which viii be studied and
photographed with the utmost zeal will be
Venus She is Just now the evening star,
The legend is that the beautiful wan
derer is inhabited entirely by women.