Evening star., 1909-07-12

entists of the world wrote of Prof.
Newcomb:
"Newcomb must be considered. with
| out contradiction. as one of the most
! celebrated astronomers of our time.
| both on account of the immensity of
his work and the unity of view which
marks the choice of the subjects treated
| by him.
| .'All Newcombs work. followed up
| with rare perseverance, has constantly
| tended to this ideal end: first to arrive
at a more exact knowledge of the mag
| nitudes serving as points of reference.
and then to establish the theory. not
| only of all the planets. but also of their
satellites, on system of constants as
precise as modern observations permit.
| Among the greatest triumphs of New
combs career must be counted his many
and fruitful researches on the motion OF
! the moon.
| Only those scientific men who have
given themselves up to analogous
studies can appreciate the enormous ex-
| penditure of physical and intellectual en-
ergy which must have been necessary to
Newcomb in order TO bring to a happy
| end the researches on the four planets
nearest the sun. Henceforth science will
profit by the fruits of this immense labor,
consisting of the tables of the planets
Mercury, Venus. Mars and the earth
Prof. Updegraff's Encomium.
| Profit. Milton Updegraff. L. S. n, su-
perintendent o. the Nautical Almanac of
| flee, said some time ago:
Prof. Newcomb'S great uSefulenSS as
scientific man is due in large part to
the fact that he combined great scholar
ship and wide knowledge of books with
an intensely practical and just apprecia-
ton of the true relation of scientific work
to the needs of mankind. In addition to
this he is extremely versatile, and takes
up with almost equal facility work in
mathematics, astronomy and economic
science, and has ventured with success
into the field of fiction
Born in Nova Scotia.
Simon Newcomb was born in Nova
Scotia in 1855 his parents being Of New
England descent, although the family
moved TO Canada in 1761. He was edu-
Gated by his father, who was school
teacher, and who recognized and appre-
ciated the remarkable mathematical tai
ent which early developed in his son. In
1858 Simon Newcomb came TO the United
States, and from 1854 to 1856 was teach
er in Maryland. where he made the ac-
quaintance Of Prof. Henry of the Smith
sonian Institution. who took all active
interest in his welfare. Through his IN
fiuence and that of Prof. Hilgard. he Sc
American Nautical Almanac, then pub
lished in Cambridge, Mass. He entered
the Lawrence Scientific School at Har-
ward, and was graduated b. s. i'll 1853.
after which he was a resident graduate
for three years.
| Upon the completion of his studies Prof
Newcomb started line of original inves-
| legations in which he perSevered with
pronounced success. In 1861 he was ap-
pointed professor of mathematics in the
United States Navy and stationed at the
Naval Observatory in this city.
Prof. Newcomb negotiated the contract
for the 26-inch equatorial telescope for
which appropriation was made by Con-
gress. and also planned and supervised
the construction of the tower and dome
in which it was mounted. He was one of
the party to visit the Saskatchewan re-
gion in 1860 to observe an eclipse of the
| SUM- and in 1870 visited Europe to observe
| total eclipse in the Mediterranean. He
has since made numerous journeys to
Europe on scientific quests.
Prof. Newcomb was 4 member OF the
commission provided for by Congress to
arrange and complete the plans for the
various parties deputed to make the OBJ
servations of the transit of Venus in
1874. and he also observed the transit
of 1882 at the Cape of Good Hope.
Meanwhile he became the senior pro-
States Navy in 1871 with the rank of
| captain, and superintended the Office of
the American Ephemeris and Nautical
Almanac from that time on. In addi-
from 1854 to 1893 professor of mathe-
matics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins
University, having charge of the post
graduate students in astronomy.
In the equipment of the great Lick
observatory in California Prof Newcomb
assisted, and the lens of the big tele-
scope and it's mountiugs were approved
by him before being accepted by the
board of trustees.
Computed Orbits of the Planets.
One of Prof. Newcombs greatest works
was the computation of the orbits of all
the planets with degree of accuracy pre-
viously unknown. His scientific reputa-
ton is admittedly second to none. and
his works are freely quoted by foreign
scientists and astronomers. His first
elaborate paper, Secular Variations and
Mutual Relations of the Orbits of the
Asteroids won him International fame.
Among the most important of the nu-
| merous papers and memoirs embodying
the results of his scientific labors the
following are considered the most impor-
tant: An Investigation of the Orbit of
Neptune" 1S67), 'An Investigation of the
Orbit of Uranus 0S71. with elaborate
tables of their motions, which have been
universally adopted and which were the
first of his planetary tables; Remarks on
the Motion of the Moon Qs76). Measure
of the Velocity of Light GSsD and De
velopment of the Perturbative Function
and Its Derivative in Snes and Cosines
of the Eccentric Anomaly and in Powers
of the Eccentricities and Incinations''
1SS4. He also contributed largely
to scientific journals and reviews. and
was editor of the American Journal of
Mathematics. His scientific publications
include Popular Astronomy 0S10,
school Astronomy with Edward s.
Holden, GS7y, ''Briefer Course nSS3);
also a series of text books for schools
and colleges, embracing algebra 1SsD.
Geometry uSSD, ''Trigonometry, with
Logarithms' nss2). Analytic Geometry"
1SS4), Essentials of Trigonometry"
uSsD and Calculus dssO.
Works on Political Economy.
Valuable contributions to political econ
omy which he pursued recreation.
were also made by Prof. Newcomb, in
Guiding "A Critical Examination of Our
Financial Policy During the Rebellion
us65). The A, p, c of Finance 0S7O,
A Plain Mans Talk on the Labor Cues
| ton 1Ss6) and 'Principles of Political
Economy QSS6).
The degree of LII. D. was conferred upon
him by the Columbian University. Wash
ington, ID. c., in 1874 and by Yale in
1879, by Harvard. in 1854, by Columbia In
1887 and by the University of Edinburgh
In 1891. The University of Leyden gave
him the degree of master Of mathematics
and doctrine of natural philosophy on
the occasion of it's tercentennial in 1870,
and the degree of PHI. D. was received
it's 5O0th anniversary in 1885. as we'll as
from the University of Padua. Italy, in
1892. At the tercentenary at Dublin Uni
N 1902 be was made doctor OF