366 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



the earth ploughs through the great 

 stream. 



Though these fainter showers are 

 of far less spectacular interest than 

 some of the well-known ones, their 

 careful observation is of much greater 

 value, for of niany of them we have 

 still to determine with accuracy the 

 true path of their meteor stream about 

 the sun. And when one has become 

 experienced in this kind of naked-eye 

 work, it is found to possess an interest 

 and fascination all its own. 



How to Use the Sound Beach Obser- 

 vatory. 



No observatory with only one telescope 

 can accommodate a large party to good 

 advantage. We have discovered by ex- 

 perience that, until we have at least one 

 more telescope, it is not satisfactory to 

 receive a party of more than ten. Prefer- 

 ably there should be fewer. An observa- 

 tory can easily be overpopularized in large 

 groups. Such a place is not like a large 

 hall that can accommodate a large com- 

 pany, yet the Sound Beach Astronomical 

 Observatory receives a dozen requests 

 for large parties to one from a single 

 student or a family. We prefer the 

 small number. 



Our observatory will hold from thirty 

 to forty persons. but even then it is over- 

 crowded. If we had room for thirty peo- 

 ple, so that each one might look through 

 the telescope for only a minute, which is 

 far too brief a time for proper seeing, 

 that would keep every other member of 

 the party waiting for half an hour, and 

 if each one had only four minutes at the 

 telescope, that would keep the others 

 waiting for two hours. This is unsatis- 

 factory, both for giving information and 

 for receiving it. 



During the cold weather several ner- 

 sons had their astrononrcal entlnisiasm 

 so comnletelv chilled that it was not con- 

 sidered advisable to receive large parties 

 in the winter, as was done to a limited ex- 

 tent in the autumn. It is oleasing to have 

 a large social party in the Welcome Re- 

 ception Room, around a roaring fire in 

 the fireplace, and then to visit the obser- 

 vatory, but practically that has not proved 

 to be the best way, because of the cold 

 and the delav in seeing. The best time 

 for observation is in the winter nights, as 

 the most beautiful and imnressive con 

 stellations are visible then, but the disad- 



vantages are many. It takes real enthu- 

 siam to keep the observer in the observa- 

 tory for two or three hours, with the ther- 

 mometer down to zero, but on a clear 

 night, with the meriury at zero, there is 

 no more delightful sight than that of the 

 sharply glittering stars. 



But spring is here, and summer soon 

 will be. The observatory freely offers 

 its aid to any who really want to study 

 the stars, but it cannot be used to good 

 advantage for the gala time of a large 

 party. It is a fact, proved by experience, 

 that many peop'le prefer to visit the ob- 

 servatory in a large party. It seems 

 sometimes almost as if some persons are 

 afraid to explore the infinite unless they 

 have a crowd with them for company. 

 It would be a simple matter to extend one 

 invitation and get twenty-five or thirty- 

 boys in the observatory, but it would be 

 difficult to extend thirty invitations and 

 get one boy for an entire evening. 



If we were after record making figures 

 we could secure them by inviting schools, 

 clubs and other societies to visit the ob- 

 servatory, and we are willing to rceive 

 such large companies and to show them 

 the building and the telescope, but such 

 visits are disappointing to all concerned. 

 Instruction can neither be given nor re- 

 ceived. 



We therefore extend this invitation to 

 the indivdual, to the famly and to small 

 groups. Come and seriously study the 

 stars. The observatory, even on a warm 

 night in spring or summer, is not the 

 ])lace for laughing, gossiping and loud 

 talking" Neither is it a place for curios- 

 ity seekers. To such visitors the obser- 

 vatory is always a disaDnointment. The 

 management desires to help the earnest 

 student, not the mere seeker after amuse- 

 ment. Several teachers have come and 

 brought their classes, and others have 

 wondered why they have not received an 

 invitation. We are now telling them. 

 Far better would it be for the teacher 

 to come alone and get a knowled^^e of the 

 constellations and then tell her pupils. It 

 recjuires consideral:)le nrcliminarv know- 

 ledge to use an astronomical observatory 

 to advantage. There is danger of wast- 

 ing time when the telescope is made mere- 

 ly the dessert at the end of a social party, 

 or a means of entertainment for an invited 

 company of more than three or four. 



One point more. It is impossible to 

 make an appointment far aliead. There 



