Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-06-18
YERKES' GREAT LENS.
OBSERVATION THROUGH THE
LARGEST TELESCOPE.
NIT Penetration Into Space One
Fourth Further Tnan Has Yet
Been Possible - Problems 10 BE

INIT Femetrat1On INTO space One.
Fourth Further Tnan Has Yet
Been Possible Problems 10 BE
Solved.
The first glimpse of the starry
heavens through the worlds greatest
lens was lately given to President
Harper, of the Chicago University,
and a party of representative Chicago
ans at the Yerkes Observatory.
The visitors were shown the two
motions of the telescope, the clock
was set in motion the lifting floor
came up with motion almost i'm
pcrceptible, the great dome revolved
and the telescope was turned on Ju-
piter. Director Hale then got the
star in the field of the finder, and
President Harper was the first of the
visitors to look ut the planet through
the Chicago University's great glass.
Jupiter is 5O,OOO,OOO miles distant
from the earth, roughly estimated,
and the Yerkes telescope brings it to
less than a million miles distant. The
night seemed an ideal one for observa-
ton. The sky was cloudless, but ow-
ing to the atmospheric disturbances of
the day before and the fall in temper
ature, the seeing" was pronounced
by the astronomers only fair.
Professor Barnard declares that it is
not possible to estimate what the tele-
scope may do for science. 1t will take
weeks and possibly months for the op-
orators to successfully solve the prob
lens which the atmosphere may pre-
sent.
ave have a right to expect great
results" he said. "This instrument
collects twenty-five per cent more
light than does the Lick. This means
a great deal, since it allows us to pene-
trate one-fourth further into space.
Were there no problems in the space
between heaven and earth and the at
mosphere an invariable quantity it
would be reasonable to give the imagi-
nation swing and tell about what we
ought to do with the great telescope.
We have been fortunate in working
with the smaller telescope from this
site, and from this we are able to say
that the Yerkes telescope il located at
practically an ideal point. 1t is al
ready assured by reason of the excel
lence of seeing experienced here in the
daytime that something definite may
be had about Venus and Mercury and
the question of their rotation periods.
We may possibly confirm either the
short or long period of rotation as as
signed to these planets by various OBJ
servers. We can reasonably expect
much concise and new information
about the moons of Jupiter, their ply
sical condition and periods of rotation.
Saturn and his rings will be fruitful
fields, and we shall be disappointed
unless we are able to bring down ac-
curate knowledge of the surfaces of
Uranus and Neptune.
"This telescope will show the world
much that is new concerning the as
teroids, the little worlds between Mars
and Jpiter, and the science of astron-
omy, will be enriched by its exposures
of many of the secrets of the double
stars. We can promise more accurate
of the distances to the
fixed stars. The moon will be better
seen, and the little valleys and hills on
its surface will be more numerous.
1t is too much to expect of any tele-
scope yet built that it should reveal
it ever bore life or of what it
is composed. The moon looks as if it
were seen at distance of two hundred
miles with the naked eye"