A VISIT TO AN OBSERVATORY. 107 



the astronomer has detected the movements and learned 

 the actual character of the heavenly bodies. He will see 

 the fundamental weapon with which inaccuracy is driven 



Fig. 8. The Meridian Circle. 



from the field of astronomy. That weapon is the transit 

 instrument, or rather the more complete apparatus which 

 is found in all our modern observatories, and is known as 

 the meridian circle. This consists of a telescope of con- 



