Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-02
HARVARD'S SONS
TO GIVE TABLET
FOR NOTED PEAK
Professor Pickering Makes Inter-
esting Announcement at Ses-
sion of Astronomers
NEW PHOTOGRAPHY OF STARS
Officers of International Union for
Solar Research to Be
Selected Today
NEW PHOTOGRAPHY OF STARS
Especial to. The Herald)

PASADENA, Sept. 2.-The surprise
Of the fourth conference OF the Inter
national Union for Solar Research was
sprung late yesterday afternoon when
Prof. E. C. Pickering, director Of Har-
ward University observatory, Cam
bridge Mass, in a pleasing little adj
dress announced that he and his CO.
laborers at Harvard soon will erect
beautiful bronze tablet on Harvard
Peak, the old name for Mt. Wilson,
in commemoration of the first obser-
vatory established in Southern Cali
fornia twenty-one years ago by Prof.
William H. Pickering, now assistant
director of Harvard
1t was in 1889 that Prof. William
H. Pickering came to Southern call
fornia to find place from which 10
make observations and photographs
of the moon and stars in the interest
of Harvard university. At that limo
Harvard tried to buy the ground but
it was tangled up in a lawsuit between
the Southern Pacific railroad, the gov
ernment and squatters.
DIR. HALE's HOPE REALIZED
Prof. w. w. Pickering, director Of
Lick observatory at Mt. Hamilton, who
acted as chairman of the meetings
yesterday, followed Prof. Pickering
with a little history, saying that In
1893 he and Prof. male made their first
trip up the trail of Mt. Wilson.
"At that time,' said Prof. Camp
bell, Hale talked away with boyish
glee of his, high hopes of sometime
being able to establish a great OBJ
servatory on Mt. Wilson for making
rp
than happy today to know that he has
been able to accomplish all that no
had hoped for and more, too"
During the forenoon session Prof.
Charles C. Abbott of the Smithsonian
Astrophysical observatory of Wash
ington, ID. c., continued his address ON
his observations with his pyrohelio-
meter, an instrument for studying the
variations in the radiant of the sum-
or, in other words. the study of the
suns rays with regard to their ef-
feet on the earth.
Prof. Abbott asked that every mem-
ber of the union present try to i'm
press upon their respective govern
ments the necessity Of establishing
stations in their countries where the
phyoheliometer may be established
and that observations taken at such
points can be used for collaborating
the effect of the suns rays in dif-
ferent parts of the world.
Prof. Pickering stated that he will
erect a building and furnish men to
man such a station at Arequite. South
America, which will be a branch OF
the Harvard observatory.
LIGHTS ON SUN SPOTS
Prof. H. f. Newell of the University
observatory, Cambridge, England,
president, and Prof. A. Fowler of South
Kensington, England, secretary, of the
committee of sun spot spectra, made
an extended report of the findings of
the committee regarding sun Spots
stating that the discoveries of Prof.
Hale at Mt. Wilson that the SUMS
spots are composed of great vortices
or cyclones of electricity and that
those whirling in one direction are
positive electricity and those whirling
in the other direction are composed OF
negative electricity has completely
revolutionized all works on sun spots.
They further stated that when the
spectroheliograph discovered by Dr.
Hale comes in general use over the
world that undoubtedly 1t Will be dis
covered that the occurrence of the
suns spots materially enects Inc
earth's atmosphere.
AT last nights meeting Prof. j. G.
Kapteyn of the astronomical labora-
tory Groningen, Holland, recommend
ed that a committee be formed of
members from different parts of the
world for the purpose of studying and
photographing stars simultaneously.
In other words, each member of the
committee will work on the same stars
at the same time and their observa-
tions will be compared for the purpose
of establishing standards on the stars.
The committee appointed consists of
Prof. E. c. Pickering of Harvard col
lege, chairman; Prof. F. kuestner,
Bonn, Germany; Prof. j. o. Backlund.
Poulkovo, Russia; Prof f. w. Dyson,
Edinburg, Scotland; Prof. ]. G. Kap-
teyn, Groningen, Holland.
A committee will be appointed today
for the purpose of arranging for
standard catalogue on the sun spot
spectra. Heretofore each observatory
has used it's own catalogue.
Following the morning session today
the officers for the next two years will
be elected and all standing and special
committees appointed. The next inn
portant business viii be the selection
of a place for the next meeting of the
union. Prof. H. Kayser of Bonn, Gel
many, has presented the name of his
home town, and inasmuch as there
are no other places suggested Bonn
will probably be chosen for the meet
ing two years hence.
1AnAnrcF oIIDc AAAV DR.