Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-19

thorougn a grasp of the subject, not
only from the point of an astronomical
master. but from the viewpoint oI
deem student of transcendental affalrs'
as mas Edgar Lucien Larkin, dlrectot
of the Mt Lowe observatory MI
Larkin has written as follows ,.,
No visitor to Southern CallloThia
should fail to make an asc IN ,,ainy 10 I
observatory. 1t is one of the leauIns
attractions of the Pacific coast 1ie
site of the institution is ideal, poth
for telescope and spectfoscoplC Puui
noses: and here is installed, with otn
er instruments, the great equaLoil"t
telescope with sixteen-inch opJeCt
glass and a very fine spectroscope,
Great is the purity of the air that DOM
these instruments can be used III Sil Sio
most accurate measurements ~
definition of the stars and DISKS Vi el,e
planets is perfect, and the entlre yh
presents but few nights during WIiion
n micrometer cannot be used o'pl
snectra are clear cut and STEADY, anu @
in the solar spectrum the Fraunholel
lines are perfectly dehned, the H
lines. in diameter equal to that oi
spider's web, can be seen Wl'iou' ~,
fculty. Few obserVatorles III ~, ny
torid have a clearer sky or location
nresenting less trouble from ar cur
rents and changes.
TO illustrate the cledrness or the az
mosphere. it will be merely necessary
TO state that the trapezlum IN tnc
Great Nebula in orion SHOWS olsllhCh9 tha
AT the exact instant of rising over the
mountain peaksi The writer has oIleh
observed the trapezium-the entire sew
en- stars-when only one minute haS
elapsed since rising over the rocks
forming the summit of the Mountains
This will be appreciated by All Wno
have used telescope in any OF lne
eastern obserVatories The moon is
white. not yellow, and the floors OF the
craters the cones, whence escaped mott
en- lava ages ago, and the delicate trac-
ery of shadows are revealed with mar
velous accuracy of detail.
Nebulae can be seen here that are
invisible in many other instruments OF
equal or greater aperture. Double stars
are separtaed at this observatory that
would seem to be beyond the power OF
a sixteen-inch glass. Closely packed
clusters are dispersed into separate dla-
monds rubies and sapphires. But no
tongue or pen can describe the glories
of the Milky Way. Imagine jet black
velvet spread over with heaps, stream
ers and spirals, made up of every posi-
BILE color of precious gem-Wlth ula-
monds in excess. These stars all sep
arately invisible to the unaided eye,
are seen as Individual points in the
telescope. They glitter with supernat-
ural light and scntillate in every hue
of the spectrum They are piled up Dy
the million on the -inconceivable black
ness of infinite space for neVer-endlng
space is black in the telescope. The
Zodiacal light in autumnal evenings
and mornings is seen extending almost
to the zenith-a cone of pearly light.
The majestic march of the stars Is
more impressive to the mind in a noun
tain observatory than on the plains.
The dust, the vapor and disturbances in
the air all lie below the line of vision,
and the distant ocean horizon cuts
the celestial vault in a shapely de-
fined line without a trace OF d1stera-
ton so often seen on land. And be-
yond the power of language, brush or
pen is the glory of the sunsets seen
from the observatory.
Refraction of light in passing through
the air continually changes the ap-
pearance of the stupendous panorama
and materially affects the sunsets, no
two looking alike. The air magnifes
the sun when it is dipping into the
waters of the Pacific to several times
it's apparent magnitude wnen we'll up
in the sky Thus: When in December
and January the sun sets in line with
Santa Monica it's enlarged apparent
diameter is nine times the apparent
length of the Arcadia hotel! Large
ocean steamers, distant more than
hundred miles, look like minute dots
when in line with the setting sun,
while the sun and Santa Barbara
island, distant seventy miles, have
about the same angular diameter when
side by side. To realize these won
drous works of refraction they must