The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-06-04
TIIiNG LARGE LENS
,.u Reflector for Mount Wilson
~ rvoected to Reveal Wonders.
=. Five Tons and Must Be Car
-" lad Up Hill Mile Hish-Many
n,tsruItfes to Be Overcome
in Mounting.

IS, angeles, Cal.-Recentiy there
erod in a British periodical an
hg VI written by an Englishman Sc
E ~ discussing the theory that An
,ssw Carnegie and DR.. George E.
VI. had built the observatory on
,.onnt Wilson in an endeaVor to get
aorner on solar energy. The ar
81 has caused amusement In scien-
-. a. circles, where the Mount Will
= observatory is looked upon as the
es.test contribution that has yet
I'm made to the science of astron-
+ spite of the fact that the big
s,uow telescope is visible from Los
trgeles there is probably little con-
.s,tfop here of the Importance the
observatory promises to play in the
s.yetonment of astronomical science.
mo coming of the famous astron-
omors of the world this summer for
convention here will do more to call
sfention to the progress of Los An
gclee as a SClSulluG SSI11O4 lAcb4A
hing that has yet occurred.
Within month or six weeks there
viii be an item of news at the obser-
vstory which will interest the entire
vorld, 1t will be known at that time
rhether the 100-inch lens recently
east in France is to be success or
not Ii it is, new secrets of the heav-
ems will be revealed as soon as it can
be set up on Mount Wilson.
The attempt to cast the big refec-
tor was once before made and the
result was failure. 1t takes sew
efal months for the big casting to
cool and the second one is in that
process now. The first reports are
that 1t will probably come out all
right
Mr.. Carnegie's recent visit to Mount
Wilson means that the dome for this
new instrument will be provided with
out question. The success of the CO.
inch reflector now in use assures the
support Of the Carnegie institute and
Its founder. The new building will
be expensive and will complete the
construction so far as DR.. Hale's plans
go The original plans for the obser-
Eatory are already fulfilled in the
equipment in daily use.
Some idea of the difficulties to be
overcome in mounting the big lens
that Is coming will be gained from
The fact that it weighs five tons. This
piece of glass must be hung so that |
It will move with perfect ease in or
der to be kept in a fixed position by |
the elockwork attachment which over
comes the motion of the earth. DIR. |
Hales invention is steel bearing
floating in mercury, principle in use
~ Tie 60-inoh lens which weighs one I
tun.
Astronomers originally doubted the
efficiency of tie larger lenses. It has
been demonstrated that the spectra
Of the stars are increased in ratio |
corresponding to the size of the lens, |
and with the 100-inch disc there are
remarkable possibilities of developing |
new facts In regard to the universe.
This lens, weighing five tons, will |
have to be transported to the top of |
mountain mile high, where tons of |
the original material for construction
mad to be packed over narrow trail |
on the backs of burros. The wagon
trail built for the purpose Of getting
The 6o-inch lens to the top will again |
prove indispensable.
An interesting operation Is going
on at present in the construction of
a vertical solar telescope. It was
found that for longer obser~qtions of |
ftalR Aphenomenassof the. SUD the |
snow telescope did n6c-u..-.----e-.,s,.5eT
conditions, although 1t fulfilled the
purpose for which it was built.
In order to test his idea of a YER |
aeal tower, DR.. Hale had a water |
tower erected and made steady by
guy ropes. With this he obtained |
such good results that he decided up-
on vertical tower. This is to be
100 feet in height in order to give |