Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1895-06-26
AMERICAN ASTRONOMERS.

Great Work Done In Recent Years NhAeh Places This Country In the Front Rank.
 In no branch of science has this country made greater progress dur ing the last quarter of a century than in astronomy. Whether com pared with tho work accomplished here in previous years or with that of England, France, Germany or It. ally since 1870, our own record for this period stands out prominently tn astronomical discovery.
 More comets, asteroids and binary stars have been discovered by Amer lcan astronomers than by those of all other countries put together. The two satellites of Mars were first seen by an American astronomer, as was Jupiter's fifth moon. Nor was this work duo entirely to the advantage of superior telescopes. Most of tho new comets and asteroids were dis covered with instruments inferior to the best ones in service across tho Atlantic.
 It is not denied, however, that the great refracting telescope on Mount Hamilton has been of great service. From little pamphlet just issued by the director of Lick observatory Professor Holden, formerly of this city-we learn that besides Jupi- ter's fifth satellite, "ten comets and great number of double starr" have been discovered with that tele- scope.
 Nor is this an. The photographs taken there of solar eclipses have put new face on the question of the constitution of solar corona. The photographic and visual obser- vations made there of comets, the omon and planets have added great ly to the worlds knowledge of those bodies. Much has been learned, too, of the Milky Way. Our spectre scopic observations of nebule, stars and comets are eff hitherto unattain- ed accuracy and have led to quite new views, says the professor. and for the first time the angular diam eter of a fixed star has been measur- ed there. Several foreign astrono- mers arc devoting their time largely to measuring, enlarging and study ing the astronomical photographs taken on Mount Hamilton. Among them are Director Weinek at the Prague observatory in Bohemia, Bar on Rothschild in Austria, Professor Franz in Germany, Dr. Nielsen in Denmark and Professor Stanley Will liams and Dr. Boeddicker in Eng land.
 Notwithstanding the fine results accomplished at other American ob- servatories, many of the discoveries credited to the one on Mount Ham ilton could not have been made with their telescopes. All honor, then, to Lick observatory, an American prod net in every detail.
 It is great thing for America tC have the most powerful telescope in the world, and a still greater to have the largest too. The new instrument for the University of Chicago is more powerful than even the one with which Jupiter s fifth moon was discovered
 Another great telescope recently completed and put in service in this country is the one at the new ob- servatory in Arizona In clearness of atmosphere it has an advantage of any in Europe and over any other in this country, except perhaps Lick observatory.
 Judging from discoveries made by American astronomers in the last few years, we cannot doubt that many more will be made by them before the close of the century. America is abreast, if not in the lead, of Europe in the discovery of new facts about the heavens. St I.Ouis Renublic.