New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-12
PROF. NEWCOMB TO RETIRE.
THE EMINENT ASTRONOMER LEAVES
THE NAVY TO-DAY.

THE EMINENT ASTRONOMER LEAVES
THE NAVY TO-DAY.
HIS REMARKABLE SERVICES TO SCIENCE c"VH''-
ING PERIOD OF FORTY YEARs-THE
WHOLE CIVILIZED WORLD IN
DEBTED TO HTM-THE
HoNoRs HE HAS
RECEIVED.
rny TELEGRAPH TO THE rRfBuNEI
wosbington March ll-Professor Simon New
comb who retires from the Navy and the super
intcndency OF the Nautical Almanac to-morro"'
leaves remarkable record OF puoic se''i'''
through which he has become one OF the iore"os'
sayants OF the world In the forty years winch
have clapsed since he first became connected WIZ"
the Nautical Almanac office. and especially In 'ne
twenty years of his SUPPLEMENTARY, ne mas oo"e
moro than any other American since frahkih "
make American learning respected anu "c'eP7
I'm European countries. To-day every as'.o"o'
In the world uses NcwcOmb's DETERMINATIONS "
the movements Of the p.anets and the H'oo" e'.''
ao,n.a 10 computed according TO Newcombs tables
everv nautical almanac Is based on the deter ''.'"
,;ns % tho washington office and the shiPPi's
- tho civized world Is guided either by the Nh'c'
team Nautical Almanac or by ephemerides o"Se'
on Newcombs work 49, c.ou,
simon Ncwcomb. born in Wallace. Nova Scoua'
| IN March r. 1885, was the eldest son OF '.",'.
Of American descent. whose ancestors e.ie =,
canada in l76l He came to the United States III
1s,s and spent two three years as 'e"0".
| g., MARYLAND While so engaged he became ao-
| uointed with Joseph Henry. then secretary Vi '"e
! Smithsonian Institution, and Julius T.. i'"s".a
sunerint endent of the United otates No"
| Geodetic Survey who were greatly i"pl e''su
his ATTITUDE for mathematics. ana IN 1891 .
| his appointment a computer on 'he me- ,,,,I
! Nautical Almanac. The office OF t'e
| Almanac was then In Cambridge. when gave NE"
r,h q n onportunity to enter the Lawrence So"
| tiGc School from which he was grao""'eu -.
| and afterward remained three years as .
| oto student While in Cambridge ne iou'',
| IN plan and execute one OF the no'' w 49,,
,,ooas ~ astronomical work undertaken up 10 Una.
| dote This was the computation OF the oi -
the asteroids-that singular group Vi ~ ad
nIane,s revolving about the sun between Aia's on
,,,or Newcomb's first calculations "e'. -
: ON four Of the asteroids in 1852 ana a''rac'e" 49,,
attention when presented at the "' :, Col,
American Association for the AdVahcen'e" ,,rr
ence at Springfield where ne eNh'o.'eu or,od
hou,rp tho changes in the orbits durihs pe
sho""s VI. .,aand vears In 1850 he published
-, ,ra,hematical theory of the SUBJECT Apply
e. 70 larger number of these little planets AM
| this publication at once gave 10 inc ''"'
| pu,er an international reputation
prppIEXING PROBLEMS SOLVED.
u 1861 he was appointed professor OF mathe
,a,,cs IN the United States Navy and transierreo
n Washington There he negotiated io' VI,
| twenty-six-inch equatorial telescope oi ,'o Wv
Naval Observatory, supervised us cohs' uo.o'' on
| MANNED the tower and dome In which Inv '"e'
| tamous instrument was mounted In 1870 he "a'
. ., ohserve total eclipse Of the sun, visible
! an the Mediterranean and established station !"
| cIhraI,or Unfortunately. the usual observations
were prevented by clouds, but the opportunity ""'
utilized in extending certain original studies Gu"
corning the minor motions or the mooh' i"''"
,oh,os showing the recognized motions Of the moor
were already In existence, notably those coh
structed by Hansen and published by the br'is'
Government In 1851: but even before 1870 IL wa
found that the observed positions or the earth
satellite did not correspond with the co'npu'e'
positions as shown by error In the calculation o
the eclipscs and in other ways yet the problem 1e
fed the combined skill Of the nathematcians an'
astronomers Of the world with his genius 10
tasks deemed nsurmountable by others Professo
Newcomb had already set himself to the resoiuuo'
of the problem. and while abroad he visited III
various observatories of Europe. and consulted th
earliest records extant. The task was not aodn
doned until the problem OF the motion OF the moor
was solved and until formulate were developed 10
constructing accurate lunar tables. Tnis trump
gained fresh laurels for the young astronome
throughout the world. and brought him ofhca
recognition from different nations.
Although the tasks just noted were every
where regarded by astronomers as Of unprecedente
magnitude they were in reality only steps towar
the accomplishment of much greater task wnic
Newcomb had already set for himself. This her
culean labor was the accurate determination o
the elements OF the solar system, including IN
inca surement Of the dimensions, weights and ORBIT
! OF the principal planets, the larger asteroids am
the more important satellites or planetary moons
This work was carried forward In connection Wit
official duty as opportunity offered. AS early n
1867 he published a final memoir on the secula
variations of the orbits OF the asteroids: THIS wa
followed in 1874 by results OF Investigations con
| corning the orbit Of the planet Uranus the ma
researches into the motions of the moon were pub
lished IN 1876 and other results Of the work wer
placed before the public at frequent intervals !
offcial reports as well as in unofficial scientih
papers. In 1871 he was made superintendent Q
the Nautical Almanac office. and thus acquired az
ditional facilities for carrying forward the labo
rous task which he has now practically com
pleted The details Of the work NIL Volumes ant
are so complex and elaborate as hardly to be sum
married..
RECOGNITION OF HIS LABORS.
His unprecedented labors have brought Professo
Newcomb unprecedented recognition from learne
institutions and enlightened nations. During tn
last decade scarcely great university In tn
world has celebrated notable anniversary with
hon on