The Washington bee., 1907-06-22
1f FINDS NEW COMET
.gzs DISCOVERY WITH HOME.
MADE TELESCOPE.
=7-m lad, Interested in Study
"a heavenly Bodies, Constructs
C.ae instrument-Gets
Good Results.

,-.=-.-. WIs-GaZlng at the skies
. telescope made by his own
. X Ae.Hsch OF Cottage
.. . .ar scarcely out of his teens,
..ra- d new comet
-..... j.. is igst a farm boy, with
education. Prof George c.
...- ..a. OF NasH1urn obseTva-
-..- .aUsca has made an in
.. -.a.aIE An EFFORT viii be
..- .. -.l the boy position in the
.... observatory al Lake Geneva
g+ namzr0ca said the comet was
-rr p little east of north at a rate
sgbr degrees a day. It is a bunch
ss.. ..E and stone. the parts
.. that distant stars can
\ seen through it, Ig is a small
.,-a- g.. looks large because of its
-..-ass to the earth
The come. has found on the south
- asg- Of .le constellation Gemini
.- midway between the stars PrOy-
n a. Alpha gr.9ul#.
r- The same night of the discovery
.- rra.=.E. Gl. at a later hour, the
,-a. was observed at the YeTkes OBJ
.---a-r The boy found it by the
@ accident After the day work
=. s-.a If the skies are clear the boy
-zrss his time observing the stars.
--. while out iu the back yard search
- The heavens one night recently
n. made the discovery. But he would
-- believe Ga had discovered a new
-.-a- uauL the next evening, when
5-.r GEORGE CgusrocE and Prof. A. 5.
Flint confirmed his belief at the uni
r-.s.-g observatory
OF got Interested in astronomy in
s.9n declared Mr.. MeIisch. Il had
only a little spy glass at first to
look 1T things near home After that
wanted to look at the moon and the
stars. but the spy glass was too weak.
Then ] read the advertisement of a
small telescope for S4 and l bought it,
What saw surprised me | saw
sr-eass across the moon and there
were wagg things that looked like
flames. Finally it became too small
t5g mg Use.
.Dwiug 1904 / worked for my uncle
as q carpenter was only a helper
and diG not get much money. l was
able. however. 90 save enough to buy
a few books and q new telescope. The
Instrument cost me SIC and was only
2 couple of inches in diameter. With
II / was able to see new stars and !
vas happy then.
"LJ was only a few more months
when ] read so much about the stars
and the wonders of the skies that my
Instrument failed to show me that
.ras eager for a new one. l wrote to
a manufacturer and found that one
such as wanted would cost $500.
could NOT pay that much.
About this time I got a book which
told me how to make d rejecting tele
scope ! found / could make such Z
telescope for a small amount and
sent TO Chicago and secured pieces ot
plate glass six inches thick. Out Ot
these ] made it by grinding one piece
Of glass against the other with emery
dust between. The construction Ot
this instrument took me all winter anC
Asl spring. My present telescope, g.
inches long, cost me SIS"
le..lsch intends to leave the farm
and get employment in some observa
Tory. He says he believes he will be
gme an astronomer. Profs Comstocl
and Flint are much Interested in the
orE of the young man.
The comet is supposed to be abOu
100000 miles from the earth. 1t il
H.uliar in that it does not have
night head, such as most comets pos
-s5, but appears like a trail of smoke