Image provided by the Yale Club & Scholarship Foundation of Hartford, Inc.
About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 1897)
Vou.. VEL NOs 44, NEW HAVEN, CONN., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1897. Price Tren Cents. THE YALE OBSERVATORY. Sketch of Work and Growth— Meteor Photography. The work of the Yale Observatory which has been going on steadily for the past fifteen years has been a quiet though nevertheless interesting and thorough one. New instruments are being added from year to year, and the character of the work is constantly broadening. The object is, primarily, practical work and original research, no courses in instruction being given. Those students. who study astronomy have the use of a telescope in South Sheffield Hall. <A brief sketch of the institution will be of interest. In the year 1858, Mrs. Cornelia L. Hillhouse and daughters, Mary and Isaphene, gave to the Corporation of Yale College a piece of land situated on the top of Prospect Hill “subject to the condition that said land should be used only for an astronomical obser- vatory and its appurtenances.” A large tract of land adjoining this was given by the late Hon. O. F. Winchester several years later, and in 1882 the Ob- servatory was built, in time for the ob- servation of the transit of Venus. Two residences for observers were also built at this time by the Corporation. By the will of Professor Elias Loomis, who died in 1889, the observa- tory receives one-third of the income and will ultimately receive the entire income, of a fund established by him and called the Loomis Fund. The in- come received is applied to one or more of the following objects only, namely: the payment of the salaries of observers whose time is devoted exclusively to the making of observations for the promo- tion of the science of astronomy; the reduction of astronomical observations and the defraying of the expense olf publishing these observations and of publishing investigations based upon astronomical observation. The prin- cipal of the Loomis Fund is over. three hundred thousand dollars. THE EQUIPMENTS. The equipments for the astronomical work are very complete. In the East dome is an 8%-inch Equatorial con- structed by Sir H. Grubb of Dublin, and in the West dome a six-inch heli- ometer by Messrs. Repsold of Hamburg.’ Among the other instruments now in use are, a four-inch transit instrument and a new instrument of special design for photographing meteors, constructed in 1894, by Messrs. Warner and Swasey of Cleveland, Ohio. This last instru- ment carries six 6-inch cameras. In addition to the ordinary astro- nomical works, the transmitting of ac- curate time to the railroads and other parties is carried on at the Observatory by means of continuous time-signals. For the proper performance of this ser- vice the following equipment is in use: Three standard clocks, a transit in- strument, chronographs, and the acces- sories for refined accuracy in the de- termination and transmission of time. Of the three standard clocks, two are run on the 75th Meridian mean time. and the other on the Siderial time. _An important feature of the work car- ried on at the Observatory is the test- ing of thermometers. For this work there is fine apparatus for research and comparison in thermometry, including a collection of the best thermometers obtainable of the foreign makers and observatories which devote special at- tention to thermometric standards. _ PAST OBSERVATIONS. Five numbers of the “Transactions of the Yale Observatory” have appeared. The first was a “Triangulation of the Principal Stars in the Group of the Pleiades,” by Dr. William L. Elkin, Director of the Observatory. ‘The second number was on _ the “Orbit of Titan and the Mass of Sa- turn,” by Professor Asaph Hall, Jr., now at Ann Arbor. of the Stars About the North Pole,” by Dr. W. L. Elkin, composed the third work. The fourth number was on the “Orbit of Mitchell’s Comet,” by Dr. Marga- -retta Palmer, who has done much com- puting for the Observatory. Number five was a “Triangulation of the Principal Stars of the Cluster in Coma Berenices,” by Assistant Astrono- mer, De. i L. Chase; Number six, on the “Photographing of Meteors,” is in the process of publi- cation. The original work done at the Ob- servatory in recent years has been chiefly parallax and trangulation work with the heliometer and the photo- graphing of meteors with the new in- strument before mentioned. PHOTOGRAPHING METEORS. , The Yale Observatory makes it a particular part of its work to watch and photograph the flight of meteors. Of late there have been two showers of note, one the Leonid shower on November 13th and following days, and the other, the Andromedes from No- vember 23th to the 28th. A watch was kept at the Observatory on the night of. Saturday, November 13th, for six hours commencing at It P.M. by Robert Brown, M. A., assisted by Mr. Smith, who exposed plates in the photographic apparatus. In all 30 meteors were seen during these hours, only 5 of which were con- formable to the Leonid radiant. Oniy one these fell in the area covered by the cameras and this was not bright enough to impress on the plates, which were much fogged by the moon, then only four and a half days part full. The nights of November 14, 15 and 16 were completely overcast here in New Haven. Dr. Wendell of Harvard, with nine as- sistants watching and counting, saw 90 meteors on the first night with a fairly clear sky. , These Leonids, as they are called, because they seem to radiate from the constellation Leo, are only the van- guard of the real display which is due in 1899. These meteors, though nearly a half million milles in thickness, form what is.a comparatively small cluster traveling around the sun in an elliptical orbit. As the earth’s orbit intersects the orbit of the meteors at only one point, we see the display only when the great mass is at that point. This occurs once in every 33 years, and that event is due in 1899. A few, however, of the meteorites are detached from the general body and can be seen every year around the maximum epochs at about November 14th, when the earth is where the orbits meet, and then only after 11 Pp. M. The general course of the meteorites is east, and they move at about the rate of 45 miles a second with relation to the earth. The Andromede shower, which was last seen at its height in 1892, did not prove to be of any great importance. Watch was kept on November 23, 24 and 27, as these were the best suited nights. Two meteoric trails were se- -cured on the photographic plates, which have developed into very good tives. nega- “A Triangulation — this year. GLEE AND BANJO CLUB OFFICERS. Edward Sawyer, Manager. G. G. Schreiber, Leader Gleé Club. S. R. Kennedy, Leader Banjo Club. UE Rl gee Rc ee ee ee ee GLEE CLUB TRIP. The Complete Itinerary—Make-up of Clubs—Social Functions. The Christmas trip of the Glee and Banjo Clubs, of which the opening con- cert was given in the Academy of Music at Brooklyn, N. Y., last night, will be a memorable one, as it will be the longest trip ever taken. The Clubs have been practicing faithfully all Fall, -and an excellent program has been prepared. The already long list of Yale songs has received two valuable addi- tions in “Brave Mother Yale,” by C. E. Merrill, ’98, and “Bells of Yale,” words of which are written by T. Mason, ‘99, and the music by C. E. Ives, ’98. Both of which will be sung for the first time Officers of the Clubs are: G. G. Schreiber, ’98, President of the Glee Club; S. R. Kennedy, ’98, Presi- dent of the Banjo Club; E. Sawyer, 98, Manager; T. S. Maffitt, ’98, Assistant Manager. The Clubs are composed of the fol- lowing men; - GLEE CLUB. First Tenors—D. B. Eddy, ’98; D. H. Gillespie, 98; G. G. Schreiber, ’98; E. G. Stalter, L. S.; A. J. Baker, 1900; M. Douglas, 1900. | Second Tenors—H. E. Butler, ’98; G. C. Greenway, ’98 S.; M. B. Yung, ’98 S.; C. F. Parker, ’98; E. T. Noble, ’99; J. S. Porter, 90. First Bass—G. Parker, ’98; F. W. Sheehan, ’98; F. T. vanBeuren,.’98; J. W. Wadsworth, ’98; H. M. Dewey, 99; G. W. Simmons, 1900. Second Bass—H. S. Borden, ’98; J. C. McLauchlan, ’98; F. A. King, ’99; R. A McGee, ’99 S.; C. S. Brooks, 1900. BANJO CLUB. Banjeurines—L. Mitchell, ’99 S.; = C. Conway, ’99 S.; E. A. McCullough, ’99 S.; G. S. Chappell, ’99; E. S. Clark, 1900 S.; C. F. Sweet, ’99. Piccolo Banjo—S. R. Kennedy, ’08. Banjos—J. C. Greenleaf, ’99 S.; H. B. Wilcox, ’98. ; Mandolins—R. P. Loomis, ’99; M. D. Eames, ’99; F. J. Tytus, ’98 5. Guitars—W. F. Dominick ’98; C. M. Fair, ’99; W. B. Ford, L. S.; A. R. Bald- win, ’98; D. C. Byers, ’98; H. M. Mor- gan, ‘99. ae At Pittsburg a joint concert will be given with the Princeton Glee and Banjo Clubs. The advance sale of tickets has been very large and the con- cert is. already an assured success. The following program will be rendered at all the concerts with the exception of that at Pittsburg. This concert will be equally divided between the Yale and Princeton Clubs. THE COMPLETE ITINERARY. Below is given the itinerary of the Christmas trip of the University Glee, Banjo and Mandolin Clubs: Wednesday, December 22—The first concert will be given at Brooklyn, N. Y., at the Academy of Music. The address of the clubs there will be Claren- don Hotel. Dance given by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Stillman at the Pier- repont Assembly rooms. Thursday, December 23—Leave Jer- sey City via C. R. R. of N. J., at 2.12 P. M.; arrive at Philadelphia at P. & R. R. R. station, corner Twenty-Fourth and Chestnut streets, at 4.14 Pp. M. Concert at Horticultural Hall. Address, care ol hall. Reception given by Mr. M. H. Forrest, from 5 to 7 P. M. Friday, December 24—Leave. Phila- delphia, via B. & O., 12.30 midnight, [Continued on 8th page.]
