New-York tribune., 1909-07-12

regarded him as one of the worlds greatest sci
entlsts
Simon Newcomb considered one OF the most
celebrated astronomers of the nineteenth century
Half century ago, a penniess apprentice Of
quack doctor OF New Brunswick. he had at the time
OF his death been voted into nearly every learned
society on earth Last year he entertained BY
the Emperor OF Germany at one OF his palaces
Princeton. Yale. Harvard. Johns Hopkins, Edn-
buTgh. Glasgow. Toronto, Heidelberg. Padua. Dub
lin Cambridge. Christania oxford and Leyden had
all conferred on him their highest degrees He was
the first American since Benjamin Franklin 10 be
an associate Of the Institute France, His special
study the moon and planets and their motions
Nor his work all academic His tables Of
computations in standard use among navgators
lie had Iso made extensive study OF social con
ditions
The astronomical researches OF Professor New
comb cover than three hundred papers and a
long list II books astronomy. mathematics and
political economy Some OF these textbooks. whiin
others are exhaustive studies Of subjects His first
elaborate paper Secular Variations and Mutual
Relations Of the Orbits of the Ast roids, won him
international fame.
Professor Newcomb was born in Wallace. Nova
Scotia. on March II, 1885. lie came to the United
States in 1855 and spent three years rs
teacher in MARYLAND. In 1857 he appointed com
pute~ on '"Th- Nautical Almanac which was then
published at Cambridge Mass. lie entered the Law
renee Scientific School and was graduated in 1858
While In Cambridge h. founG time to plan and
execute one of the most ambitious pieces Of astro-
nomcal work undertaken up 10 that date This
was the computation Of the orbits OF the as'eroids-
that singular group of miniature planets r@vovins
about the sun between Mars and Jupiter New
combs first calculations We're made on four OF the
asteroids I'm ISa and attracted much attention
when presented at the meeting at Springfield OF
the American Association FOR the Advancement OF
Science where he exhibited a diagram showing
The changes i'm the orbits during a period OF many
thousand wears In 1850 he published general
mathematical theory OF the subject applying It TO
a larger number Of these little planets, and this
publication at once gave 10 the young co''pu''' o."
international reputation.
In ,Ss, he was anponted professor of mathe
roatirs In the United States navy and transferred
10 Washington. There he negotiated for the TWEEN
ty-sx-nch equatorial telescope OF the oid NaNaI
Observa tory. supervised s construction ana planned
-, ,ovar and dome In which the famous in
strurent was mounted In 1870 he was sent 10
observe total eclipse OF the sun visible on the
Mediterranean and established station at Gioral-
TAR Unfortunately. the usual observations were
nrevented by Clouds but the opportunity was utll-
lied in extending certain original studies concern
ing the minor motions of the moon Lunar tables
showing the recognized motions CT the noon were
already I'm existence notably those constructed by
Hansen and published by tha British government
In 1857. but even before 1870 1t found that the
observed positions OF the earths satellite dd no'
correspond with the computed positions. as shown /
by III the calculation Of the eclipSes ana III
otber wavs: vet the problem deded the combined
skill Of the mathemarcians and astronomers OF the
world With his genius for tasks deemed insur-
mountable nv others, Professor Newcomb had al (
ready set himself the resolution of the problem /
and while abroad he visited the various observa- /
tories of Europe and consulted the earliest rec
or,is extant. The task not abandoned unth I
the problem of the motion of the moon was solved /
and until formulas were developed for construct .
ing accurate lunar tables This triumph gained !
fresh laures for the young astronomer throughout !
the world and brought him official recognition |
from different nations
Although the two tasks Just noted were every /
where regarded by astronomers of unprecedented |
magnitude. they In reality only steps toward
the accomplishment OF much greater task which ,
Newcomb had already set for himself This her I
cuIean labor was the accurate determination of 1
III, elements OF the solar system including the /
mea surement of the dimensions weights and orbits /
of the principal planets. the larger asteroids and
the more important satellites or planetary moons
This work was carried forward in connection with
official duty as opportunity offered As early as /
1857 he published a final memoir the secular l
variations of the orbits OF the asteroids this was
followed in 1874 by results of Investigations con-
corning the orbit of the panet Uranus the final /
researches into the motions of the moon were pub
lisbed I'm 1876 and other results of the work
placed before the public at frequent intervals IN
official reports well as In unofficial scientific /
napers In 1877 he made superintendent OF [
tho Nautical Almanac Office. and thus acquired ad-
dtional facilities for carrying forward the Iabo-
rious task The details of the work I'LL volumes.
In 1854 Professor Newcomb became professor OF 4
mathematics and astronomy in Johns Hopkins Uni 4
versitv In 1887 the Russian government ordered I
his portrait 10 painted for the collection OF /
famous astronomers at the Observatory of Putowa. {
Professor Newcomb retired from the navy in 1897 /
Among the diplomas, medals. degrees and letters /
from royalties and scientists priced by Professor /
Newcomb was worn slip of paper which read:
This is to certify that Mr, Simon Newcomb is +
well qualified instruct children in the various 1
bra nches of an English education. and possesses
good moral character. He exhibited very consid- /
CRADLE knowledge of the higher branches OF math- /
ematics w ]. SUDLER.
JOHN W. f. SUDLER.
Trustees for Primary School No. 4. OF O. A. Co. for
year ending 1850 -
Sudlersviile. November g. 1855
Professor Nevcomh operated on for cancer at /
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. in January. |
1909 He had cured of painful lameness by
the removal of a from his leg at the same In
stituton In 1900
A wife daughter of the late DR.. Hassler.
Ilr Arita