The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-27
ASTRONOMER
AT PUNAHOU
Scientists Lecture to
the Collegians.
THE COMING ECLIPSE
Professors Skinner, Abbot and Bar
nard TeIf About Their Trip
TO The South Seas.

a good sized audience turned out last
night to listen to Professors Skinner,
Abbott and Barnard at Pauahi hall,
Punahou. The lectures dealt with the
coming eclipse in May and astronomy
in general.
| Professor Skinner OF the Naval OBJ
servatory at Washington was the first
to speak
we are now" said the Professor
about half way to our destination
having to travel almost five thousand
miles now before we reach the seat OF
our observations. 1t is now the scien-
tific aim to study and observe the facts
and phenomena and from these deduce
our theories. It used to be the GUS
tom for learned men to study in their
own closets, but now the scientist seeks
abroad for his material and studies ma
ture face to face.
THE great subject which we are now
iengaged in studying is the sun. There
are great many things In regard to
the sun which we have yet to discover,
chief among these being the causes of
the suns activity The sun is about
800 900 miles in diameter and Is about
400 times farther away than the moon.
Great difficulties are met with in the
study of the suns activity and certain
facts can only be ascertained under the
most favorable circumstances.
THE principal object of our study
during the coming eclipse will be the
corona. When the moon moves across
the face of the sun so as to form q
total eclipse wreath of light is formed
about the sun known as the corona.
These total eclipses occur every year.
but owing to their short duration of
time are usually very unsatisfactory.
The approaching eclipse will be very
favorable, lasting about six and one
half minutes. Last year the eclipse
only lasted for a minute and a half,
but owing to the nearness of the moon
this coming eclipse will be much
longer.
Some of the particular points which
we will endeavor to solve are the
chemical composition and heat of the
corona. It is also suspected that there
are planets nearer the sun than Mer-
curry, and it will be another aim of ours
to prove the truth or falSity of the
supposition.
Our method of procedure will be
with the aid of cameras and photo
graphic telescopes, with which we hope
to reproduce likenesses Of the corona
and the other heavenly phenomenal
Professor c. G. Abbot of the Smith
sonian Institution was the next speak
er. He talked to the audience about
the measuring. of heat. He described
the apparatus with which he hoped to
ascertain the heat of the corona. -
Professor E. E. Barnard of Yerkes
Observatory then spoke to the audi
ence, illustrating his lecture by means
of stereopticon views.
Photography has proved of the
greatest aid to astronomy" Professor
Barnard began. planets and stars
which are invisible to the naked eye
have been discovered and clearly repro
duced by means of the sensitive plates
THE method used is largely the same
as that used in ordinary photography
with the exception that the movement
of the object has to be taken into con-
slderation. But in photographing the
heavens the camera moves instead of
the object, so that an apparatus for
changing the position of the camera has
to be used. This machinery consists
of two telescopes, a visual. and pho
tosraphic. BY means of a clockwork
ATTACHMENT the image is focused on
the plate and remains stationary
The remainder of the lecture was ex-
planatory 10 the views thrown on the
canvas by the Professor.
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