OBSERVATORY NEEDED

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 935, 30 September 1910, Page 2

OBSERVATORY NEEDED

DR. KENNEDY'S LECTURE

WELLINGTON AND THE STARS.

There are, five astronomical ob?erva»' tories in Sydney, Melbourne, . Adelaide,-! and Perth, but in New! Zealand the case - is very, different: Thero is a small ob- : U servatory at Christchurch,; to which the;/ public: are sometimes adriiittid;':a ; :smaUV."'- •■■ : one in : the. Square, at Palinerstori North; - a very,:: fine one ■ at- Wangariui j •.'another y.i '/ one, with a good.' telescope, at •" ■ Meeanee, ncar Napier;;'and ; those are all. There is - rio ' astronomical, observatory .' iu'' Wellington. :v;-v, i^.These ' facts,-.were mentioned by,-: the -. ■-' Rev;,; Dr. Kennedy,' F.R.A;S.',;'at the outset of an ..astronomical lecture .in tho'' Municipal, Concert Hall' ; last "night. ' To removo this implied reproach to. ■ tho : . • Capital, City ?and -generally to encourage i\:s'V and; promote.: the study. of astronomy are .' :-'■' the .objects of ,the ;.new'; ; astroripiriical%seo-? i: '■'! tion. of the Wellington- Philosophical So- . ciety.. One. of tho first; steps,,of this new,';-/ organisation; was to; arrange * for the lec- -' "• ture^.under,- notice... ,Mr.. J, Firth, ,B,A^;';. headmaster of-.the AYeUington' College, presided; oyer'a• fairly.';large'-'audience/'' ■ • That-an effective observatory-.need^-not-. be , ari : ornate or''.costly ".'building v was" dei i:. nionstratcd by a lantern picture, of the - ;one at. 'small 'and .unpretcn-: i tious; wooden building/with a -domei 'A'ii- ; ■ other;; picture - showed--, the; telescope; with- -;; . in—a nine-inch refractor. ■ Some 6f; : the / ;. - marvellous .sights - that may .bo - eeeii by. • .'■'■ •: means' of'an;otorvatorynveiS- jv byjmeans^of-.a': series -of . interesting ■ ■: : slides, : a'cc6iripanied,; by. : the: lecturer's lu-r .' V cid explanatory comments. ; The sun and the. solar, spectrum were first discussed, 'v special- interest -being attached' io . tho photographs ofthe: huge J'eruptivo pror' -mirieuces",on ', the /sun's,", "disc,. :; lookiag : -, -- like fiaine? and supposed to be masses of : incandescent-'-gas. ,':Some "of - them were / believed tp. ba as much as: 162,000 miles. .• high. The mvstery of .'the sunsjiots and' • the' progress, that-, has jbeeri. made' iri : -501v.. ! -, \ ing thcin by. means '.of the. spectroscope, also'jdiscussed;-' ;\ : ■ ' ' , Tho uncanny-; scenery' of "the moon was v : cxamined,;-irith : ;tlie ,aid of photographs , f-rom:Me-eiaiee and -other pictures, aud Dr. .. KennTxly. then: took his: audience.- fox,' a.'; run among, the planets. ';' Professor - '. Lowell's' .'- much-canvassed-theory bf "the "caiialff l ' of Mars was briefly .I' ;' referred to, tho lecturer : stating' that the : t-hat- the -canals . w;erb.'.filled--with : .. . water w;us now discredited. It had beea, ... . shown-that:, tho mass 'of -.Mars': was: not--sufficient.-,to attract and retain..'atmoSpheric; moisture (just ; as;.the .earth^oonld-r;: not keep freo'hydrogen iri its atmosphere. • iand '-.the.;moon' could ; not lc'eep'.;. an-, atirio- ;jr. sphere at all),, and'it was 'therefore diffi- \ 'cult' ; : to vseel ho trials Tbi. keptC-;;-''f, supplied .with water..' It was now ge.r.e- ,•• rally believed that..Mars'. was uninhabit- .• ... iable/Vltil'Rd:littlß'' i 6r. : for.' want -of. mists -and clouds; (which on \ 'the.earth kept'm.like -a blanket thc heat, I -received-; frpinf.the!: stfri),'- the -ladiation ;;of- ; -W : heat froni 'Mars'-was very'.great.-;It waa : . '•' '.supposed i that the • temMratrureim .'Mars'/ i' .was about 70' degrees below, freezing/This' ;. ; .WOiJd.be, T at A the ;.vbeSt;V ..Other mafcebrifinuity- 1 of .-.A the .'supposed.. canals' was' merelyan :op-3 >; ¥ "tical-illusion, that they; of . detached spots. Professor Ixiwell had , ' ■ lechii-ed not very, long/ago before' r pi?aii'astronomers,'.and'had quite failed-. •• to convinco.'them that;the., caiials were' .'; artificial. ' • . S'S* f After a :furfcher -number of *pio- ; -' : j ;tiires'-of,!heaLvenljr>:objects;'! the. lecturer came, back to the subject with which h«'. . ' . started, and showed pictures of great obseryatpries .'and; 'instruments.: in-different;, v,v countries.-. 'He.stated that.ia/telescope" with 15-incr.' equatorial refractor would' :' ; cost <£Isoo to .£IBOO, .•'^:lßii^''w&wfe.,';-' i .-S. 1 : ! ivbput'': would;', be content .with' the ,'f.ormOT^::';The:-build-*,';: ;irig, 30ft. 7 square, with a dome,.would pro-' .';; bably mean about iIOOO more, so.-that,' . the:.whole v.thing; -could be done :for .v£3ooo.- •' We had'tio. millionaires like; Yerkes'.and. . ' Lickj: vvho : ; paid'for"; whole ":ipidndid--''6l»Mr«.:.v:-j'- i ..-.r.: vatories, but there-were doubtless, peopl® - . ; in New' Zealand .who would give jconsidorable donations . for -. such ;-a.; purpose,if ;. the.matter plac®'befoire' ( them.;Thtf,;;;;.! A: Carter bequest;- tor., an-observatory for Wellington, now^monnted'4o'i!3ooo, but-! one oondition 'was that, an observer and'. ' y .staff.iinust .bo employed. ;If. the . ment-. or'the..Cityl tounmLiwould'.'pay-: tl}e'.' salaries, the thing could be dono at once, i j -: ; but:.if.. iioti,-it jimight/still! ; be ipossible ;■^to: raise • the : -money. ~The .-late; Mr./' Carter,; 'in making tho bequest, had. expressed' t-hei . ,;v. h'oiw-that tho undertaking.would be'sub- - "> • sidised *by ..the Government, and that .. '- : - other citizens givo.donations. Soir.c^ thing; of .;the;,kind;- -must, be don? if Wei- • lington was'' to .bo - abreast v of scientifia', ■prbgSessi-S-='■. ri.*-?.:-'--- ;- A vote of;thanks, moved by; Mr. R. Ai Wright, .',M.P.,-was carried by acclam®': ;. tion.;::y:i;-,:';