Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1896-07-24
TO THE MOON, 90 MILES.
New Telescope Expected to Bring Luna With
10 that Seeming Distance.

rev 4tlcslCpt +pr|trt " DA4AE Luna WIN
10 that Seeming Distance.
The huge block of crystal which will
become the mirror for the great iele-
scope has safely arrived in Paris. If all
goes we'll the exhibition Of 1000 will be
able 70 boast Of distinct feature
Whether the moons features will be
equally distinct is another question. Prof
Loewy thinks not, but N. Deoncle is
still determined to carry through his
idea.
1.-THE moon one yard off" Itwas thus
the scheme of the gigantic telescope was
was spoken OF in the papers. But NJ.
Deloncle, however ambitious he may be
"a Central Africa, protests that he never
had so preposterous a notion. He
claims that it will be possible to throw on
to screen views of our satalli;e brough
within distance of thirty-eight miles
This remains to be seen. However, rv-
cry body will wish NJ Deloncle, and still
more his shareholders. every success in
what one must still regard as an expert
mrut
The new telescope mirror is the
largest ever made. It was cast at Jeu.
mont, manufacturing place, and the
last French station on the line 10 Liege,
Colonge, and Berlin. This splendid
block of homogeneous crystal weighs
5000 kilogrammes. Its dimensions is
EOS meters and in its present nearly
rough state it cost e4,oo. OF course it
was conveyed to Paris in a special train.
1t was wrapped up in heavy felt blan-
kets, protected by heaps of soft wood,
with metal tires, mounted on pivots.
Thus packed, the mirror was tightly
wedged In case that was placed in the
wagon on bed of hurdles and layers of
hay.
Fer greater safety the train stopped
only once, at Tergnier and went at as
slow pace as a royal train, escorted by
a railway Inspector 1t was insured to
It's full value. The same afternoon it
was removed from the northern termin-
us to the workshop. The mirror, before
eaving Jeumont, went through a second
grinding of IT'S faces, being as smooth as
| fine plate glass. But for telescope
purposes this sort of smootlness is
'oughness itself The finishing process
will take two years and six months, and
~ more expeditions processes than any
hitherto in use, which, moreover, will
,ive greater accuracy than anything
,nown.
Hitherto astronomical mirrors and
enses have been polished by hand by
lowly rubbing the glass with the naked
land, sometimes, hut not always, moist
ned with oil, albumen, and other sub
tances, which are the makers secret.
The drawback of this process is that the
mere heat of the hand may cause the
urface to warp.
The new mechanical process, OF which
are not given, will produce a
urface approaching true plane, with
4 one ten-thousandth part of MILL
letter. Even this marvellous finish will
cave a margin, astronomers lay, for
rrors. The whole finishing process
Ill cost $4,000 The silvering will not
ost anything to speak of.
The mirror will be mounted on two
rms ten meters long, ard will be set in
lotion by machinery of the usual sort.
he rays gathered from planetary space
ill be reflected horizontally through a
Mammoth tube sixty meters long, laid
n piles of masonry. The lenses of
int and crown glass will be one meter
VENT -ive centi-meters, the largest in
le world, and the images enlarged 5000
mes, will be thrown on to a screen,
hich thousands of people will view at
time
The moon will, if all goes we'll, be
-ougnt within thirty eight miles, but it
most doubtful whether images on
lis scale will prove correct. NJ. Loewy,
lie assistant director of the Paris o.
srvatory, who has submitted some
'lendid photographs of the moon
-.ieves that the limit if ninet, four
lies he has reached is the utmost
racticable for long time to come.
arger images will be indstinct.