The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-15
One Is to be Constructed rs
Feet in Length.
MOST POWERFUL ON EARTH
1t Will be Built to Lie Along
the Ground.

of Americas most eminent authorities on
| astronomy, has in course of construction
in Cambridge the longest, and what he
believes will be- when finished, the most
powerful telescope in the world.
Professor Pickering has origina ted some
Of the most useful apparatus known to
scientists, and he believes that the sue
cess of his newest projected telescope,
which is to have the greatest focal range
of any instrument ever designed, will be
comparatively as great as the success
which attended the introduction to the
world of science of the ruce telescope, an
instrument which Professor Pickering de-
signed, and which is the shortest telescope
as well as one of the most satisfactory
for celestial photography, that is to be
found anywhere in the world.
The Bruce telescope is now being en-
ployed making observations in Arequipa,
Peru, and Harvard College observatory
has just received from there a series of the
most successful PHOTOGRAPHS lof the heav-
ems yet taken. At the observatory Profess
sor Pickering showed the writer plate
which had just been unpacked, taken by
the Bruce telescope, on which with a sur
face of about fourteen to eighteen inches,
| the reproduction of 40, 900 stars, taken at a
single exposure, is visible.
Professor Pickering considers the work
of the Bruce telescope to have amply jus
titled his judgment in designing it, and he
expects equally satisfactory results from
the long focal telescope which he has de-
signed and which he desires to construct.
The Bruce telescope was rendered pos
sible by Miss Catherine W. Bruce of New
York city, who gave the Harvard obser-
vatory $4,000 for the purpose Of carrying
out the new ideas Of Professor Pickering
with reference to the construction of
telescope which should differ radically
from all the accepted traditions and Gus
toms of the telescope builders of the
world
Professor Pickering explained to Miss
Bruce that the construction of the tele-
| scope which he proposed to build would
be only an experiment but that he be-
lieved it would be a success, and in the
interests of science she made her generous
gift The Bruce telescope was constructed
at the factory of the late Alvin Clark &
Son, Brookline street Cambridge, tbs
noted builders of telescopes and designers
of lenses. 1t has twenty-four inch aper-
ture and a total focal length of only
twelve feet, the shortest of any recognized
/ telescope yet constructed.
So much has been accomplished with the
Bruce telescope that, Professor Pickering
is now particularly anxious to improve
| upon it by constructing a telescope which
it is purposed, shall have an aperture
of only twelve to fourteen inches, but
which shall have a focal length of APP
proximitely one hundred and seventy-fve
| feet. The only thing which Professor
| Pickering regards as an obstacle standing
| between his desires and the accomplish
ment Of them in the matter OF building the
new telescope is the question OF money
| and he is pretty confident that that Will
come along, as the advancement OF real
! science mas already been seriously hind
cred heretofore by a lack Of funds
Professor Pickering is so confident that
he will be able to build the proposed tele-
! scope that he has already purchased and
brough nto Campridge, from Paris, the
lenses which ne intends shall go into the
new instrument, and they are now at the
| BrookIine street factory. Professor PICK
! ering has issued a circular to the friends
| of Harvard observatory in which he states
| that. where as the cost of the Bruce teie-
/ scope was betrayed by a benefaction Of
! go 900. the total cost Of the telescope which
/ he desires now to build will not exceed
/ S, 900 to $4,000.
The lens of the new telescope viii be
much smaller than that of the famous
telescope at the Yerkes observatory, at
! Geneva Lake, Wis, for that IS forty inch
es in diamater and the largest In the
world. but Professor Pickering anticipates
obtaining some results with the new instru-
nent which neither the Yerkes nor any
Of the other famous telescopes has been
able 10 e i've The Yerkes telescope, with
/ its forfv-inch lenses, has q focal length or
sfxty-seven feet, the greatest yet con-
structed. In Paris they are building a
Telescope which will be in all ways greater
than (as regards figures on dimensionsl the
| Yerkes telescope, for it Is to have lens
fifty inches In diameter and be something
over one hundred feet in length.
The Yerkes telescope is an equatorial
telescope. while the larger one, which it
is expected to have readily for the expo
telescope. as win be the 175 foot long one
which Professor Pickering has started to
| construct. and which he hopes to have
funds p complete by some time next year,
possibly in time to observe the eclipse OF
the sun which IS to be total in the United
States at points south OF Maryland on
May IS 1900.
That friend OF science who provides a
fund Of from s5.Ga to $1,000 for complet-
ing the new telescope named after himsel.
or herslf. as was the case with the teie-
scope for which Miss Bruce, OF New York
gave S5o.o00
As a menas OF showing some os the ad.
vantages 70 be derived from the employ
ment of the proposed telescope, with lis
extreme focal length, Professor Pickering
drew a comparison between what can nov
DO done in the way OF heavenly o5seTya-
lions and photography y explaining thar
with the eleven inch Photographic tele
scope with focal length o. about eigh
teen feet which Is now IN use, the max
imum diameter % a photograph which q
s. possible 70 take OF the moon IS only ar
linen and a hzlf Using the new photo
Z graphic telescope. with a plste o. the sans
dimensions. It would Be possible 20 Sc
cure a photograph 81 1he noon whici
{ would practically aill the plate. OF D
r about eleven times as large n diameter ~
the ore which can now BE taken n az
ditioa the larger photograph would Civ
8 wealth u detail whicA II impossible 2.
be obtained By any Q .aer means
The diameter az tae lenses in the new
telescone. however vii be larger thar