Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-11-23
A NEW ASTEROJD,
Discovered by the Rev. y. II. Nctcn't
Formerly of burlington.

The town of Winchester. Mass. is soon
to be known in the astronomical world
owing to ;hc energy of the Rev. Joel n.
Netcalf. pastor of the Winchester Uni
tartan Church. who has decided to name
the new asteroid which he recently dis
covered after the town. The name of
this new asteroid shall be Winchester.
The observation-disclosures first noticed
this new planet from his little observa-
tory in front of his house az No. ]
Crescent road. Winchester, on October ",
but it Immediately disappeared from view
and was not seen again until last Mon
day evening, when he PHOTOGRAPHED i;
with ii twelve-inch telescope, which he
made for his own use seven years ago.
As he was Watching it it passed into the
constellation Pisces. Two interesting
things about the new asteroid distin-
guished it from seven hundred others Of
its Kind. one is its brilliancy. which Is
about 105 magnitude, and anoJher is its
rapid change In declination, being that
OF twelve minutes per day for twenty
days.
ENJOYS STUDY OF THE STARS,
The Rev Mr Metoalf. in talking about
his astronomical observation. said to
reporter for the Boston American. 1T
may seem strange to many people that
should devote part of my time to astron-
omy in connection with my church work,
but ~ has always been a hobby of mine
20 engage i'm the study OF the stars ana
planets made my first astronomical
observations when | was fourteen years
OF age and since that time | have dis
covered ahou, thirty-five minor planets.
"A good many men like to go out into
the woods TO hunt and fish. II is the
same way with me- but instead of going
into the woods to hunt game | go into
my little observatory out there and hunt
in he skies for new planets, There al
WAYS seems TO he that stimulus to look
for something new. The success of these
hunts always depends upon the method
in which YOU work. In making my tele-
SCOPE photographs | always use twelve
inch telescope. which I made myself,
about seven years ago ] also made a
sixtcen-inch telescope. which is now used
a. the Harvard observatory.
"My work along these lines has always
been quite successful In 1900 ! discov-
cred a periodic comet, one of the Jupiter
group. which expect shall return in
1872 or 1913 In the summer of 1910 | found
a parabolic comet, which ! had under OBJ
servation for nearly a year. That was
quite long time to keep such a comet in
sight. for 1t was never very bright, be-
cause it never got inside of the earth's
orbit.
SAW ASTEROID OCTOBER q,
Il first observed this new asteroid on
the 2tth of October but it went oui of
! sight and did not see it again until last
= Monday night Il is a great deal brighter
than any OF the others. its brillancy being
los magnitude, II is also moving very
rapidly in declinaton, It's speed being
bout twelve minutes per day for twenty
days When | first noticed II It was d.
rcctly east Of the Plades; now 4, is NOV
ing very rapidly in southerly direc-
ton,
81 have decided to call it Winchester,
after he town, But still | may not have
a chance TO give it name, because II
might only be an old asteroid which has
been lost. It is now very near the earth
and shall he able to keep it under OBJ
servation for few months. The longer
IT cam he observed tie better is It's orbit
| have only named one of the other aster-
Ioiis which | have discovered
THAT ore | named after the city OF
Taunton, because at the time of its dis
coyerv my observatory was located there
winchester appears at present 10 be
moving west. whereas all the other aster-
ODDS move toward the east, However this
apparent motion is due 10 the fact of It's
proximity 10 the earth. can't lose sight
OF il by the Photographic method ant
will he able to follow 1t for a few months
at least