Photography of the Skies 



as possible, where atmospheric disturbances 

 work least harm because atmospheric paths are 

 there at their shortest. Myriads of heavenly 

 bodies have thus been added to the astronomer's 

 ken, which, without the dry plate, would prob- 

 ably have remained unfound forever.* 



When Dr. Maddox was busy stirring together 

 his bromides and gelatin he did not know that 

 from his bowl the universe was to receive a new 

 diameter; but so it has proved. The invention 

 of the telescope marks one great epoch in the 

 astronomer's advance; another era, as memorable 

 dawned for him when he added to the telescope 

 a camera armed with a gelatin film. He gained 

 at once the power of penetrating depths of space 

 which otherwise would never have sped the 

 explorer a revealing ray. And, remarkable 

 enough, it is that to-day the first glimpse which 

 the astronomer receives of a new orb is in the 

 dark room, as he develops a telescopic plate 

 which may have been exposed for hours. As 

 the camera outranges the eye, in that very act 

 it surpasses every task of depiction which the 

 eye may dictate to the hand. 



So efficient is the scouring of the heavens by 

 the telescopic camera that to its plates is now 

 resigned the search for those little worlds, or 

 world fragments, known as asteroids. The 

 hunt is simplicity itself. A plate is exposed in a 

 camera, and directed by clockwork to a particular 



* See a superbly illustrated article by Professor E. E. 

 Barnard, Photographic Times, August, 1895. 

 81 



