Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1899-09-01

While interest centers around the
main dome and it's sleepless eye, the
Yerkes Observatory would be big
institution If it had only its minor
glasses to depend upon. One of these
is twelve-inch refractor mounted in
the north dome. A twenty-four inch
reflector win shortly be mounted in
the south dome. A sixty-inch reflect
ing telescope is also being built now
in the instrument shop of the observa-
tory, and will be mounted in another
building at some future time. AS it
stands equipped the Yerkes Observa-
tory cost 5000, 900. 1t is the most COM
plete in the world, with a refracting
telescope forty inches in diameter.
Next in order is the Lick Observatory
on Mount Hamilton. with its thirty-six
inch refractor, and third in order Is
the Imperial Observatory at Pulkowa-
Home of the Telescope.
The building is in the form .of a
Latin cross, the longer axis of which
lies due east and west. A great nine
ty-foot dome completes the western
end and twenty-six foot and thirty
foot domes terminate the north and
south transepts. The body of the
building is divided into laboratories,
libraries, offices, computing rooms and
Photographic dark rooms. The ground
floor is equipped as an instrument
shop, making this the only observa-
its apparatus under the direct super
vision of those who use them. This
gives unexampled facilities for the
application of new methods of re-
search, and already more than dozen
intricate machines have been con-
structed and used successfully. The
observatory Is built of yellow brick,
ornamented with futed columns carved
at the bases with gargoyles and other
stairs are finished In white marble
delicately veined in green and tho
wood Is of massive oak.
The observatory has little life Of
its own. Professors in charge have
built their homes along the lake, and
small colony of scientists has gath
cred about the big telescope. DR.. Hale,
the director, has beautiful cottage
short distance away. Prof. Barnard,
Of the observatory staff, and one of the
best-known of American astronomers,
has built hemelike house of South
erp architecture commanding a grand
view of the lake. Here he and his
charming wife dispense hospitality to
many a visitor, and on the front porch
the most distinguished astronomers of
this country and of Europe have
smoked an after-dinner cigar and dis
cussed the puzzle problems Of the uni
verse.
Much of the work at the Yerkes OBJ
servatory during the past eighteen
months has been of a kind which
could not be accomplished at any other
in the world. In all observations
which involve minute measurements
of the highest precision the Yerkes
telescope is unrivaled. The measure
ment of the motions Of the stars,
which approach or recede from the
earth, are of great Importance, as data
gathered from these throw light upon
the movements of the entire solar sys-
tenn. To this problem, the greatest in
astronomy, DR.. Hale. Prof. Frost and
Mr.. Ferdinand Ellerman have applied
| themselves.
The sun, with all its attendant plan
cts comprising our solar system, is
rushing toward the star Vega, or AL
pha, of the Lyre, at the inconceivable
| rate Of ten miles second. Vega is
one of the most beautiful stars in the
heavens and can be seen now near
J the zenith on any fair evening. Prob
ably since the life of man began, per-
haps since the universe was born, our
solar system has been speeding toward
this star. In the life Of a generation
the sun comes hundreds of millions of
miles nearer its destination. But in
many generations, to all appearances,
this approach would not be percepti-
ble The journey, so far as mortals
are concerned must be eternal.
| When, where and how, If ever, did
this journey begin; when, where and
how, If ever. will it end? Is the great
est of the unsolved problems oe astron-
| Omy. .