TO KNOW THE S TARRY HEAVENS 



53 



will pass completely onto the bright disc 

 of the sun, thus hiding all of the latter 

 from view except an intensely bright and 

 narrow ring of its outer edge. This 

 eclipse will be wholly invisible in north- 

 ern latitudes, however, the path of the 

 annulus first striking the turning earth 

 at A, Figure 3, sweeping across Australia 

 and Tasmania to B, and linally leaving 

 the earth's surface at a point about nine 

 hundred miles south of New Zealand. 



Wanted: A Small Telescope. 



An experience of more than six 

 months in our popularizing and popu- 

 lar observatory has shown that the 

 nights for really good seeing are few^, 

 and that most of our visitors come in 

 large parties. These include chapters 

 of The AA and companies from other 

 organizations, such as churches, 

 schools. Camp Fire Girls, Boy Scouts, 

 Woodcrafters and family groups. We 

 have had the observatory crowded on 

 many of the best nights by from thirty 

 to forty people when it was important 

 to have each moment used to advan- 

 tage. As every astronomer knows, 

 many of the attractions of the heavens 

 may be seen with a three or four inch 

 instrument practically as well as with 

 a larger one. We desire contributions 

 in money, or the gift of a secondhand 

 telescope on tripod mounting and of 

 moderate aperture, that will supple- 

 ment to advantage our six-inch Clark 

 on pillar mounting. The Sound Beach 

 Astronomical Observatory has been so 

 eminently successful, and has so stimu- 

 lated others to establish observatories 

 in other places, that we are sure our 

 friends will come to our aid and wiH 

 give us at least one small telescope. It 

 is becoming more and more evident 

 that the best form of popularizing ob- 

 servatory is one that has several small 

 instruments. For most celestial ob- 

 jects big telescopes reveal no more of 

 real interest than the small ones. If 

 many persons are to be reached and not 

 kept imoatiently waiting their turn . 

 especially on a cold night, when the 

 atmosphere is quiet and seeing is there- 

 fore at its best, then the really prac- 

 tical form should be a battery of tele- 

 scopes. The ideal observatory would 

 be a long room wnth the roof com- 

 pletely removable above a row of small 

 instruments. Any observatory that 

 attempts to entertain and to instruct 

 visiting parties should have more than 



one telescope. Think of it for a mo- 

 ment. Forty people come into an ob- 

 servatory. To give each one only a 

 minute is really hurrying him too much, 

 but that takes about three quarters of 

 an hour, more than that in actual prac- 

 tice, and even then a visitor, after wait- 

 ing an hour and a half, may have only 

 two brief peeps at the heavens. We 

 feel confident that our philanthropically 

 disposed people will see that we are at 

 once supplied with greater optical 

 facilities. 



Edward F. Bigelow. 



Astronomy in Education. 



In urging a popular education in as- 

 tronomy one might remark that our 

 cliildren would never be homesick if 

 they learned to recognize the heavenly 

 host that still watches over the famil- 

 iar home scenes. But seriously speak- 

 ing, I think that astronomy should be 

 included in every high school curric- 

 ulum. Not the mathematical side, of 

 course, as that is too technical and un- 

 interesting for most people, but a 

 thorough knowledge of the fundamen- 

 tal facts of physical astronomy. In 

 these practical days education has been 

 largely transformed from mere book 

 learning into a means of preparation 

 for our careers. Nevertheless a very 

 proper reaction has set in, and it is 

 becoming more and more apjjarcnt that 

 it is desirable for every student to car- 

 ry several purely cultural studies. — 

 Henry Handy McHenry in "Popular 

 Astronomv." 



One can glory in a great cliff down 

 in the depths of his heart, but if you 

 mention it, it is geology, and an argu- 

 ment. Even the birds sing zoologi- 

 cally, and as for the sky, it has become 

 a mere blue-and-gold science, and all 

 the wonder seems to be confined to 

 one's not knowing the names of the 

 planets. I was brought up wistfully 

 on 



Twinkle, twinkle, little star. 

 How I wonder what you are. 

 But now it is become : 



Twinkle, twinkle, little star. 

 Teacher's told me what you are. 



— Gerald Stanley Lee. 



Nature's portals are ajar. 



Her latchstring always out, 

 You do not need to seek her far, 



Her paths are all about. 



— Emma Peirce. 



