Evening star., 1937-06-20
By Lucy Salamanca.

LOCKS buried in a double
vault in the center of 1000
foot circle, tables of the sun,
~ the moon and stars predicting
their whereabouts two years hence,
time precisely accurate within one
thirty y-thousandth of second; cam
eras that record daily the spots on
the sun and lenses that have dis
covered the moons of Mars-these are
some of the wonders grown common
place through association to those who
earn their daily bread and butter
laboring under the banner Of the
Naval Observatory Of the United
States.
Now that a recent eclipse has made
us all more or less conscious Of
celestial bodies and piqued our Curl
osity with respect to the activities Of
our own astronomical center at the
farther end of Massachusetts, avenue,
the activities of the Washington Naval
Observatory have taken on for many
of us new interest. We have, our
selves, newly discovered it, peered with
the proper awe into perlscope That
reflects six buried timekeepers and
even ventured to photograph the
benevolent and fiery heavenly ball that
CHANGED to be beaming the day OF our
visit. We wonder now just why we
never thought of this before, for II
there is more fascinating spot than
the Naval Observatory here in the
Capital, we have yet the discover and
describe it.
What is even more important to
our national well-being is the indis-
pensability of this center, where a
$1,000 100000 trade is kept safely
. af1oat in our American merchant
marine because of those who labor an
nually on the nautical almanac, and
where time is dispensed hourly to a
Nation vitally concerned with the pre-
cision of their timepieces. These reg
ular services, too, are augmented from
time to time by astronomical observa-
tions as thrilling to the rest OF the
world as were the identity OF the
planet Neptune, the discovery OF three
minor planets and the sighting Of the
moons of Mars, when astronomers OF
the United States Naval Observatory
came first upon them.
THANKS to the Naval Observatory,
- the navigator today can obtain the
exact error of his chronometers with
lightning-like rapidity, and every hour
of the day. with the exception OF 9
O'Clock in the morning and 9 O'Clock
at night, the Nation can hear the tick
from our national time meridian. A
long step has been taken by the Gov
ernment since that time prior tC
1880 when the navigational require
ments of ships were supplied BY
agents abroad, who were badly versee
in navigational needs and since 1865
when the Observatory sent out sigma
over a direct connection with the
Washington fire alarm office which
caused the fire bells to be struck a
Z in the morning and at at night
Informing Washingtonians Of the cor
rect time.
Today the Naval Observatory occu
pies u acres Of ree-shaded land u
one of the best residential sections
Washington, at Massachusetts, avenu
and Thirty-fourth street northwest
And it comprises SIS buildings, som
of which house expensive and fan1ou
instruments. Operating on the yer
small budget OF $ls0,000 year. 1t
duty is to make such astronomical OBJ
dfvations, to derive and publish sue
data, and to arrange for the supply Q
such nautical instruments as will al
ford to United States vessels and air
craft, as well as to all availing them
selves thereof, means for safe naviga
ton, including the provision of &C
Curate time, and, while pursuing tn
primary function, to contribute ma
terial within the capabilities OF tn
available astronomical equipment.
the general advancement Of navigatio
and astronomy"
All this means great deal Of worl
many divisions of labor, and ef1ectiN
supervision of extensive activities A
OF which is accomplished by Capt.
F.. Hellweg, U. S. Navy, superintendent
of the observatory, and a staff
trained experts in diversified fields.
THE idea of establishing a nation'
observatory was first brought
the attention of Congress In 1909 (
N amateur astronomer, William Lam