OTAGO FOR CLEAR SKIES

Evening Star, Issue 20133, 25 March 1929, Page 3

OTAGO FOR CLEAR SKIES

PROVED BY SYSTEMATIC TESTS The latest official deliverance on the subject of astronomical site-testing in New Zealand is the address given by Dr C. E. Adams in Auckland early this year before the. conierence ol tlie New Zealand institute. Extracts arc as follow ;—■ Systematic testing ol sites lor astronomy was begun in New Zealand in L'J 14, when Air J. Evershod, F.ILS., came from .India to make tests at Nelson of the suitability of the place for the establishment of a solar observatory. The late Thomas Cawthron, who Mas responsible lor Mr Evershed s visit, uas so satisfied with the tests; made by Mr Evershed that he offered to provide £3O,ODD for a solar observatory to be (‘reeled on the hills at Nelson. .Mr Cawthron died without signing the deed, and the observatory was not proceeded with. . . In 1920 the director of the Yale University Observatory made inquiries as to the suitability ol New Zealand lor stellar research, and oflercd to send a 26in photographic reflecting telescope to New Zealand on certain conditions. Tests Mere immediately put in hand in Otago by Mr J- C. Begg, F’JLA.S.. and the results were published by the Australasian Association tor the Advancement of Science. Other tests were made at Karon (Wellington), beginning 1923, July; Nelson, 1923, October; Auckland City, 1923, October, The results of the Auckland tests wore sent to tlie Yale Observatory, and were not considered sufficiently good to justiiy the Yale authorities in .-.ending the telescope to Auckland. The telescope was subsequently sent to South Africa, where it is now in use. Site testing has also been carried out at Akaroa, beginning 1925, March: ’Wellington, .1926, July, South Canterbury and Otago, 1928, M a rein .1 hose tests have been carried out with scopes of various apertures from 3in to 9in, and an attempt lias been made to reduce them to the values obtained with a uiu telescope. The following are the average tests reduced to the oin telescope on tlie scale of seeing when 0 equals very had and 10 equals perfect: — Auckland —• Wellington 6-3-1 Wellington '-'6 Karon 5.4 Nelson 6,/J. Akaroa 6.6 Tekapo bAffi Pembroke (-G Tnkaralii and Crown Hill 6.18 Wedderburn and Blackstone Hill township 3Jh Opbir ’ T.b> Alexandra (-36 Alexandra Box burgh 1 -6-> At some of the places tested the period ol observation Mas very short, it is accordingly proposed to take automatic tests ol the night skies during the corning winter. The results given in Mr Begg’s pajier show that some of tlie Otago places have a very high percentage ot clear skies, and this, added to the exceptionally good average of the seeing, will justify the establishment of a largo observatory in New Zealand. New Zealanders are justified in hoping that a telescope at least as big as the Canadian 72in reflector will he provided and erected in the south ol New Zealand. In this way the complete sky from jiole to pole would be under observation by British telescopes of tlie same size and power.