The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-23
VIEWING THE HEAVENS.
Successful Test of the Worlds
Greatest Lens.

Williams Bay, Wis, May 22.-The
first glimpse of THE starry heavens
through the worlds greatest lens was
given to President Harper of the Chi
cago university and a party of repre-
sentative Chica goanS at the Yerkes
observatory. Professor Hale and Pro-
fessor Barnard were the hosts. The
visitors were shown the TWO motions
of the telescope. the clock was set in
motion, the lifting floor came up with
motion almost impercepible as the
great dome revolved and the telescope
was turned on Jupiter. Director Hale
then got the star in the field of the
finder and President Harper was the
first of the visitors to look at the
planet through the Chicago university,s
great glass. Jupiter is 100000 600 miles
distant from the earth, roughly esti-
mated, and the YerkeS telescope brings
ii to less than 100000 miles distant.
The night seemed an ideal one for
observation. The sky was cloudless,
but owing to the atmospheric dis
turbances of the day before and the
fall in temperature, the seeing was
pronounced by the astronomers only
fair.
Professor Barnard. captured by the
Chicago university from the Lick Oh
servatory, declares that it is not pos
sible to estimate what the telescope
may do for science. 1t will take weeks
and possibly months for the operators
to successfully solve the problems
which the atmc sphere NAV present
we have right to eXpect great
results" ne said. This instrument
collects % per cent more light than
does the Lick. This means great
deal. since it allows us to penetrate
one-fourth farther into space. Were
there no problems in the space be-
tween heaven and earth and the at
mosphere WAS an invariable quantity,
it would be reasonable to give the i'm
agination swing and tell about what
we ought to be able to do with the
telescope We have been fortunate in
working with the smaller telescope
from this site and from this we ere
able to say that the Yerkes telescope
is located at an especially ideal point:
1T is already assured. by reason of
the excellence of seeing experience here
in the DAYTIME. that something definite
may be h ii about Venus and Mercury.
and the question Of their rotation
periods We may possibly confirm
either the short or long periods Of re-
tation, as assigned to these planets by
various observers
We can reasonably expect much
concise and new information about the
moons of Jupiter. their physical con-
dition and periods of rotation. Saturn
and his rings viii be fruitful fields
and we shall be disappointed unless we
are able TO bring down accurate knowl-
edge of the surface OF Uranus and
Neptune.
This telescope will show the world
much that is new. concerning the aster-
ODDS, the little worlds between Mars
and Jupiter and the science of astron-
omy will be enriched by its exposures
of many of the secrets of the double
stars. We can premise more accurate
measureme of the distance to the
fixed stars The moon will be better
seen and the little valleys and hills on +
the desolate surface VIII be more nu-
merous. It is too much to expect of /
any telescope yet built that il should I
reveal whether it ever bore life or
what it is composed Of The moon /
looks as if il We're seen at a distance I
of 200 miles with the naked eye
Professor Hale says that the prelim- |
mary work done makes it likely that /
much attention viii be paid to solar I
work. His opinion is that the site is I
most conducive.
The atmosphere here is decidedly {
better for astronomical purposes than 1
on Pixies peak or Mount Etna," 6e- 1
clared the professor.
The most delicate observations Of +
the sun will be possible and undoubt- !
sdly fruitful to science. The lenses have I
already proven to be the best in eX
stence for this branch of the work.
The image of the sun at the focus Of
The instrument is seven inches in di-
CT