Gunnison news-champion., 1908-07-24

F.es I astronomers. a. vel as af
Efar saara amauE fHe rauaE uf the
iaymru. have been Hreefra with spe-
cial Interest towards Jupiter o bate
ogul rH fFa reported discovery 1f thy
ciEtfn satellite Hf che great planet
whose HISTORY lin an astr1uauica
raiher chan urfrHI1ElUaI seuse--is
q marvel HI aalwHfr romance Then,
D. probably ua ssIHrf iu tho haaNers
aroIuI -Irr HaH HgE ass1oIdrirrs
oius.rr Do Was rls fayau uHH that
presided over rhr fr#f mtmaHHus of
tlr s.e~1 uf NeHf u tho days when
Eatlr watched fHy rCIU=gs of it-
moons To Jupiter was directed the
first telescope ever trained on tLH
skies by an parhIy astronomer I
zen t1 the bot u Jupiter 10 Intervene
iu the great stu-aIa between rival
tHeuI.- of the world order and CON
meet itself forever with "a most thrill
ling period n the history of science
Measured and weighed since then with
all arfaInabIe CNuCtuess t is known
for observers TODAY as the planet of
colossal dimensions and terrific
speed Of numerous progeny and
troubled CCuutguauce Vet it never
shines without casting Cos uster away
back toward the middle ages upon the
serene, md1mitable and UndyiuE figure
of Calico.
The surprising fact about Jupiter.
80 far as its moons are concerned. is
that the planet was lost 10 astro-
nomiCal Investigation for nearly 300
years. In that time the telescope
underwent enormous Improvement
Herschel mapped the heavens with his
great tube, and Lord R0sscs reflector
at Parsonstowu showed such light
gathering capacity that the star Sirius
shoHe in IL like a coach lamp" Later
still with the Introduction of archr1.
matte object lenses and advance in the
art uf glass making the comparatively
tremendous range and defining power
of the modern refracting telescope
were placed at the disposal OF the ob.
server. % Lick instrument. with its
clear width Of three feet turned toward
the night sky, seemed well nigh the
limit of the investigating power which
astronomers could hope to command
Yet after all this advance and almost
AT the beginning Of the twentieth cen
tury Jupiter showed no more of her
moons 90 the modern scientists than
she had revealed nearly three cen.
turtles before TO the Impractical eye
and rude instrument of Calico The
planet was known in 1910 to have -four
a4FaT1ffng- in
expected to see any more. II was a
comfortable provision. and the count
seemed closed. Yet all this time there
were seven. possibly eight, moons
though the fact was hidden from the
world, just as magnetism had been
hidden until Gilbert brought it into
notice, and as radium was hidden until
the Curies raised il from the dust
Jupiter was reserviug his secret for
some daring observer who should
bridge the zap Of nearly 800 years
with a new discovery The first chap.
Ter Of the revelation came in 1892. and
the revealer was Prof Edward Emer
son Barnard of the Lick observatory
A southern man. who had already
done excellent work in celestial pho
Biography besides discovering a mum
Der Of comets, he was one of the first
In the clear air Of Mt Hamilton. Cal
% turn the new 36-iuch telescope to
the planets. lie was doubtless eager
20 know what of new detail and phys
ical construction the big glass would
bring forth. Happening one Septem
Der midnight 70 be examining the disc
Of Jupiter he glimpsed tiny speck
Of light near the edze of the planet
II soon became lost in the glare Of the
larger body. but the quest was re
sumcd on succeeding nights. and then
the news was flashed 10 every Ameri
can and foreign observatory that Juui
ter had five moons. This unexpected
and mOmeutuus discovery thrilled the
astronomical world. but there were
other surprises yet 10 come. EarIy
in January, 1904. Prof Charles Dillon
Perrine OF the same observatory-als
a comet finder and expert in the stud,
of eclipses-announc a sixth satel
lite, the existence Of which he hat
suspected in December Of the previou,
year. and the observation was con
firmed by experts at the United States
naval observatory- In January, 1895
Prof. Perrine followed up his success:
by discovering a seventh satellite. and
now what may turn out to be tbs