Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1903-11-27
A Telescope Party.

dozen, under the leadership of the pastor
of the Congregational church, engaged
Prof. A M. Pipes and his great telescope
for an evening among the stars. The
party rendezvoused on Mr.. Keezel's
lawn. on Sixth Avenue, and between the
hours of and II p. M, reveled in the
abundant glory OF the heavens. The
night was ideal The telescope, which
has been in use on the streets several
days, is a "rcfractor" of ten.inch aper-
ture, and the eye piece used Monday
night magnified 800 times. Prot. Pipes
is an enthusiast and an adept at his
business, and proved an inspiring guide.
If any OF the party had previously
thought of him and his instrument as of
the fake order, because they happened
to occupy the fakes stand on the
street corner. Monday evenings insight
changed their opinion.
The moon, little less than quarter
crescent, was in the very best position
ivr profile view of her mountain-crhters
and dry sea-beds. The profile of high
mountain on the very edge of the moon
delighted the party. Its peak caught
the illumination from the sun, and the
dark shadow across the valley broke of
the tip of the crescent. In appearance.
the top OF the mountain showed patch
of light several inches beyond the ex-
IRENE tip of the crescent 1t was very
l,eaut;ful
Jupiter showed up in the instrument
about as large as the moon does when
high in the heavens AL! four OF his
moons were clearly visible-a somewhat
rare occurrence as one or more are
usually either in occultation (that is, be
hind the planeD or in transit Chat rs,
or ossing Jupiteis face, and so showing
a black dot on his disc). Since the tele-
scope has been in town, several transits
and occultations have occurred. The
telescope showed clearly the thick DRIFTS
of clouds across the planets disc.
Saturn proved to be rare object OF
beauty and fairly thrilled his observers.
His gorgeous rings showed clear around
his slvery body except where the body
OF the planet occulted the further part OF
their circle, and several persons saw
some of his moons.
But the marvellous power OF the tele-
scope was apparent when it was turned
,I>on the fixed stars. The small star
'hta," in the constellation OF the Swan,
tho wed two very beautiful stars, each
almost as bright as Venus appears to
he naked eye, and one star rich
purple, and the other delightful yellow
N color. So far distant are these twin
stars that it takes light one hundred
years to fash across the intervening
space. The two stars revolve about an
invisible center in about six hundred
wears. Gamma" in the constellation
of the Ram, proved to be another Binary
wonder, and very beautiful to look
upon. 1t has periodic revolution OF
about two hundred and twenty-five
is, about a common center
The constellation OF the Harp has two
very beautiful ,bjects-"Vega," single
star that showed upa deep purple IN
C. olor, and Epsilon a quadrtple, or
d .ore properly and popularity, double
rtnuble star. One pair Of stars revolye
about their common center in about one
thousand years, and the other about
their common center in about two
thousand years, and all the while the
four move about center common to
the system IN n little under one million
years, according to the delicate measure.
,uents and calculations of the astrono-
,ners. The light from Vega, ncighbor-
ing star. sends light to us in seventy-fve
1ipht-years, light travelling at the rate OF
one hundred and eighty-six thousand
miles per second,
The well known Milky Way was re-
solved by the telescope into innumerable
clusters of beautiful stars, so far distant
chat the vast perspective of the heavens
! merpes them into cloud OF light. One
particular cluster Of stars elected great
establishment, an innumerable company
60. stars appearing where, to the naked
eve, not single star appeared. AS the
evening advanced, the various nebulae
appeared to good advantage, and the
Professor turned the instrument upor
iobject after object as the curiousity Of
the knowledge of the party directed
Late in the evening, the greatest ant