The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1907-04-24

The world Is never satisfied. There
Is always hunger for something big
ger and better than the present pos
session and attainment. Scarcely has
the world become familiar with some
great achievement which eclipses all
former effort before still larger things
are in process Of the making. The
20-story sky scraper is soon distanced
BY the 30-story one which the daring
builder erects, and that by still high
er structures. The 60-mile-an-hour
train is soon considered slow as the
70-mile-an-hour train speeds over the
country and that In turn by the train
which makes still faster time. And so
1t goes, until the world has come to
expect that the biggest thing known
will soon have a rival In the thing
still bigger.
So it has been with the instrument
which the astronomers use to search
the heavens. Years ago the widest
dreams Of the scientists would not
have thought 60inch telescope pos
sible. but when at last through the
years such an enormous development
had been reached, was the scientiet
content? Did he believe that he had
attained the Ultima Thule Of telescope
construction? Nay, verify. For when
the possibility OF constructing a CO.
inch mirror had been demonstrated.
the scientist at once began to plan
for still larger telescope, and now 1t
Is the hundred-inch glass that IS the
goal Of ambition.
The first step in such an enormous
advance in the size of telescopes has
just been taken by the officials Of the
carnegie Institutions Solar obserya-
tory on Mount Wilson, California. The
sum of $4,000 has been contributed
by John D. Hooker, of Los Angeles, to
cover the expense. and a glass disk
Of unexampled magnitude has been
ordered made in France. and from
this disk Mr. Ritchey VIII construct a
mirror for new rejecting telescope
100 inches in diameter. Mr.. Ritchey
has nearly completed a mirror Of so
inches diameter IN the shops OF the
observatory at Pasadena, and hitherto
this has been looked upon as an I'M
dertaking Of extraordinary boldness:
but the 100-inch mirror will SO far ex-
coed the 60-inch in its power to grasp
the light OF the heavenly bodies that
to compare them Is like comparing a
full-grown man with a child. TO
show this II is only necessary to re.
member that the capacity OF a tele-
scopic object-glass. or mirror. to col
lect light varies directly with The
square Of Its diameter. The square
Of so Is $500, and the square Of 100
Is 10000; therefore. the power Of the
contemplated telescope viii be to that
Of the telescope nearly completed al
10000 is to $500, or nearly three times
greaterl The famous Lord Rosse teIe-
scope, constructed in ireland in the
middle Of the last century-and still
In existence, and TO some extent n
use--is ~ inches IN diameter; But II
is SO imperfect in figure and in re-.
flecting quality, that It cannot be com.
pared with either oil these two Cali.
fornian giants.
In truth. hundred-inch telescope
Is no less than an innovation. and
many astronomers, knowing the Inn.
mense difficulties which beset the
use Of large instruments. difficulties
both mechanical and atmosnberlc
will be disposed to doubt the success
Of this undertaking The new disk
will be 1s inches thick. The 6o.inch
disk Is eight inches thick. and weighs
q ton. These facts give an indlca.
tion Of the enormous weight the pro.
jected mirror viii possess. and sux.
gest to those who are familiar with
the mechanical problems involved IN
the mounting Of huge telescopes some
of the practical difficulties that win
have to be overcome before this new
astrouomIc eye opens Its mighty lids
to penetrate among the yet undIscos.
cred marveIs ot the starry universe.
One or two other comparisons be.
tween the projected instrument aad