Stargazing: Past and Present

BOOK VI.

Chapter 61,891 wordsPublic domain

ASTRONOMICAL PHYSICS.

XXV.— THE GENERAL FIELD OF PHYSICAL INQUIRY 371

XXVI.— DETERMINATION OF THE LIGHT AND HEAT OF THE STARS 377

XXVII.— THE CHEMISTRY OF THE STARS: CONSTRUCTION OF THE 386 SPECTROSCOPE

XXVIII.— THE CHEMISTRY OF THE STARS (CONTINUED): PRINCIPLES OF 401 SPECTRUM ANALYSIS

XXIX.— THE CHEMISTRY OF THE STARS (CONTINUED): THE 422 TELESPECTROSCOPE

XXX.— THE TELEPOLARISCOPE 441

XXXI.— CELESTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY.—THE WAYS AND MEANS 454

XXXII.— CELESTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY (CONTINUED): SOME RESULTS 463

XXXIII.— CELESTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY (CONTINUED): RECENT RESULTS 469

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. PAGE

1. The heavens according to Ptolemy 3

2. The zodiac of Denderah 7

3. Illustration of Euclid’s statements 10

4. The plane of the ecliptic 13

5. The plane of the ecliptic, showing the inclination of the 14 earth’s axis

6. The first meridian circle 20

7. The first instrument graduated into 360° (west side) 21

8. Astrolabe (armillæ æquatoriæ of Tycho Brahe) similar to the 26 one contrived by Hipparchus

9. Ecliptic astrolabe (the armillæ zodiacales of Tycho Brahe), 28 similar to the one used by Hipparchus

10. Diagram illustrating the precession of the equinoxes 31

11. Revolution of the pole of the equator round the pole of the 32 ecliptic caused by the precession of the equinoxes

12. The vernal equinox among the constellations, B.C. 2170 34

13. Showing how the vernal equinox has now passed from Taurus and 34 Aries

14. Instrument for measuring altitudes 35

15. Portrait of Tycho Brahe (from original painting in the 39 possession of Dr. Crompton, of Manchester)

16. Tycho Brahe’s observatory on the island of Huen 43

17. Tycho Brahe’s system 46

18. The quadrans maximus reproduced from Tycho’s plate 48

19. Tycho’s sextant 50

20. View and section of a prism 56

21. Deviation of light in passing at various incidences through 57 prisms of various angles

22. Convergence of light by two prisms base to base 59

23. Formation of a lens from sections of prisms 60

24. Front view and section of a double convex lens 61

25. Double concave, plane concave, and concavo-convex lenses 61

26. Double convex, plane convex, and concavo-convex lenses 62

27. Convergence of rays by convex lens to principal focus 62

28. Conjugate foci of convex lens 63

29. Conjugate images 64

30. Diagram explaining Fig. 29 64

31. Dispersion of rays by a double concave lens 65

32. Horizontal section of the eyeball 66

33. Action of eye in formation of images 68

34. Action of a long-sighted eye 69

35. Diagram showing path of rays when viewing an object at an 70 easy distance

36. Action of short-sighted eye 71

37. Galilean telescope 73

38. Telescope 75

39. Diagram explaining the magnifying power of object-glass 76

40. Scheiner’s telescope 78

41. Dispersion of light by prism 80

42. Diagram showing the amount of colour produced by a lens 81

43. Decomposition and recomposition of light by two prisms 83

44. Diagram explaining the formation of an achromatic lens 84

45. Combination of flint- and crown-glass lenses in an achromatic 86 lens

46. Diagram illustrating the irrationality of the spectrum 87

47. Diagram illustrating the action of a reflecting surface 91

48. Experimental proof that the angle of incidence = angle of 92 reflection

49. Convergence of light by concave mirror 94

50. Conjugate foci of convex mirror 94

51. Formation of image of candle by reflection 95

52. Diagram explaining Fig. 51 96

53. Reflection of rays by convex mirror 98

54. Reflecting telescope (Gregorian) 101

55. Newton’s telescope 102

56. Reflecting telescope (Cassegrain) 103

57. Front view telescope (Herschel) 103

58. Diagram illustrating spherical aberration 105

59. Diagram showing the proper form of reflector to be an ellipse 106

60. Huyghens’ eyepiece 110

61. Diagram explaining the achromaticity of the Huyghenian 111 eyepiece

62. Ramsden’s eyepiece 112

63. Erecting or day eyepiece 113

64. Images of planet produced by short and long focus lenses, &c. 123

65. Showing in an exaggerated form how the edge of the speculum 128 is worn down by polishing

65*. Section of Lord Rosse’s polishing machine 131

66. Mr. Lassell’s polishing machine 132

67. Simple telescope tube, showing arrangement of object-glass 140 and eyepiece

68. Appearance of diffraction rings round a star when the 141 object-glass is properly adjusted

69. Appearance of same object when object-glass is out of 141 adjustment

70. Optical part of a Newtonian reflector of ten inches aperture 143

71. Optical part of a Melbourne reflector 143

72. Mr. Browning’s method of supporting small specula 144

73. Support of the mirror when vertical 146

74. Division of the speculum into equal areas 147

75. Primary, secondary, and tertiary systems of levers shown 148 separately

76. Complete system consolidated into three screws 148

77. Support of diagonal plane mirror (Front view) 150

78. Support of diagonal plane mirror (Side view) 150

79. A portion of the constellation Gemini seen with the naked eye 154

80. The same region, as seen through a large telescope 155

81. Orion and the neighbouring constellations 156

82. Nebula of Orion 157

83. Saturn and his moons 160

84. Details of the ring of Saturn 161

85. Ancient clock escapement 177

86. The crown wheel 178

87. The clock train 180

88. Winding arrangements 181

89. The cycloidal pendulum 185

90. Graham’s, Harrison’s, and Greenwich pendulums 188

91. Greenwich clock: arrangement for compensation for barometric 194 pressure

92. The anchor escapement 197

93. Graham’s dead beat 199

94. Gravity escapement (Mudge) 200

95. Gravity escapement (Bloxam) 202

96. Greenwich clock escapement 204

97. Compensating balance 207

98. Detached lever escapement 208

99. Chronometer escapement 209

100. The fusee 209

101. Diggs’ diagonal scale 213

102. The vernier 214

103. System of wires in a transit eyepiece 220

104. Wire micrometer 221

105. Images of Jupiter 224

106. Object-glass cut into two parts 225

107. The parts separated, and giving two images of any object 225

108. Double images seen through Iceland spar 227

109. Diagram showing the ordinary and extraordinary rays in a 227 crystal of Iceland spar

110. Crystals of Iceland spar 228

111. Double image micrometer 229

112. Tycho Brahe’s mural quadrant 235

113. Transit instrument (Transit of Venus Expedition) 236

114. Transit instrument in a fixed observatory 237

115. Diagram explaining third adjustment 239

116. The mural circle 241

117. Transit circle, showing the addition of circles to the 242 transit instrument

118. Perspective view of Greenwich transit circle 243

119. Plan of the Greenwich transit circle 245

120. Cambridge (U.S.) meridian circle 248

121. Diagram illustrating how the pole is found 249

122. Diagram illustrating the different lengths of solar and 255 sidereal day

123. System of wires in transit eyepiece 257

124. The Greenwich chronograph. (General view) 261

125. Details of the travelling carriage which carries the magnets 262 and prickers. (Side view and view from above)

126. Showing how on the passage of a current round the soft iron 263 the pricker is made to make a mark on the spiral line on the cylinder

127. Side view of the carriage carrying the magnets and the 263 pointer that draws the spiral

128. Wheel of the sidereal clock, and arrangement for making 266 contact at each second

129. Arrangement for correcting mean solar time clock at Greenwich 268

130. The chronopher 276

131. Reflex zenith tube 286

132. Theodolite 288

133. Portable alt-azimuth 289

134. The 40-feet at Slough 294

135. Lord Rosse’s 6-feet 295

136. Refractor mounted on alt-azimuth tripod for ordinary 296 star-gazing

137. Simple equatorial mounting 298

138. Cooke’s form for refractors 300

139. Mr. Grubb’s form applied to a Cassegrain reflector 301

140. Grubb’s form for Newtonians 303

141. Browning’s mounting for Newtonians 304

142. The Washington great equatorial 309

143. General view of the Melbourne reflector 312

144. The mounting of the Melbourne telescope 313

145. Great silver-on-glass reflector at the Paris observatory 316

146. Clock governor 319

147. Bond’s spring governor 320

148. Foucault’s governor 323

149. Illuminating lamp for equatorial 325

150. Cooke’s illuminating lamp 326

151. Dome 338

152. Drum 338

153. New Cincinnati observatory—(Font elevation) 338

154. Cambridge (U.S.) equatorial 339

155. Section of main building—United States naval observatory 341

156. Foucault’s siderostat 344

157. The siderostat at Lord Lindsay’s observatory 348

158. Position circle 353

159. How the length of a shadow thrown by a lunar hill is measured 354

160. The determination of the angle of position of the axis of 358 Saturn’s ring

161. Measurement of the angle of position of the axis of a figure 359 of a comet

162. Double star measurement 360

163. Ring micrometer 368

164. Thermopile and galvanometer 374

165. Rumford’s photometer 378

166. Bouguer’s photometer 379

167. Kepler’s diagram 387

168. Newton’s experiment, showing the different refrangibilities 388 of colours

169. First observation of the lines in the solar spectrum 391

170. Solar spectrum 392

171. Student’s spectroscope 393

172. Section of spectroscope 394

173. Spectroscope with four prisms 396

174. Automatic spectroscope (Grubb’s form) 397

175. Automatic spectroscope (Browning’s form) 397

176. Last prism of train for returning the rays 398

177. Spectroscope with returning beam 399

178. Direct-vision prism 399

179. Electric lamp 404

180. Electric lamp arranged for throwing a spectrum on a screen 405

181. Comparison of the line spectra of iron, calcium, and 406 aluminium, with common impurities

182. Coloured flame of salts in the flame of a Bunsen’s burner 408

183. Spectroscope arranged for showing absorption 409

184. Geissler’s tube 413

185. Spectrum of sun-spot 415

186. Diagram explaining long and short lines 416

187. Comparison of the absorption spectrum of the sun with the 418 radiation spectra of iron and calcium, with common impurities

188. Comparison prism 423

189. Comparison prism 423

190. Foucault’s heliostat 424

191. Object-glass prism 426

192. The eyepiece end of the Newall refractor 427

193. Solar telespectroscope (Browning’s form) 428

194. Solar telespectroscope (Grubb’s form) 428

195. Side view of spectroscope 429

196. Plan of spectroscope 429

197. Cambridge star spectroscope elevation 430

198. Cambridge spectroscope plan 430

199. Direct-vision star spectroscope (Secchi) 431

200. Types of stellar spectra 433

201. Part of solar spectrum near F 436

202. Distortions of F line on sun 438

203. Displacement of F line on edge of sun 439

204. Diagram showing the path of the ordinary and extraordinary 445 ray in crystals of Iceland spar

205. Appearance of the spots of light on the screen shown in the 446 preceding figure, allowing the ordinary ray to pass and rotating the second crystal

206. Appearance of spots of light on screen on rotating the second 447 crystal, when the extraordinary ray is allowed to pass through the first screen

207. Instrument for showing polarization by reflection 448

208. Section of plate-holder 456

209. Enlarging camera 458

210. Instantaneous shutter 460

211. Photoheliograph as erected in a temporary observatory for 461 photographing the transit of Venus in 1874

212. Copy of photograph taken during the eclipse of 1869 474

213. Part of Beer and Mädler’s map of the moon 476

214. The same region copied from a photograph by De La Rue 477

215. Comparison between Kirchhoff’s map and Rutherfurd’s 480 photograph

216. Arrangement for photographically determining the coincidence 481 of solar and metallic lines

217. Telespectroscope with camera for obtaining photographs of the 482 solar prominences