Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (Cambridge Library Collection - Astronomy)
Thomas William Webb
Language: English
Pages: 268
ISBN: 0554620510
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Thomas William Webb (1807-1885) was an Oxford-educated English clergyman whose deep interest in astronomy and accompanying field observations eventually led to the publication of his Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes in 1859. An attempt 'to furnish the possessors of ordinary telescopes with plain directions for their use, and a list of objects for their advantageous employment', the book was popular with amateur stargazers for many decades to follow. Underlying Webb's celestial field guide and directions on telescope use was a deep conviction that the heavens pointed observers 'to the most impressive thoughts of the littleness of man, and of the unspeakable greatness and glory of the Creator'. A classic and well-loved work by a passionate practitioner, the monograph remains an important landmark in the history of astronomy, as well as a tool for use by amateurs and professionals alike.
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and a brilliant central hill. 2. VENDELINUS (339) ia unequal to 338, though on the Earth it would be esteemed a wonder of magnificence; it contains a very dark speck in Full. 3. PETAVIUS (340) is one of the finest spots in the Moon: its grand double rampart, on E. side nearly 11,000 feet high, its terraces, and convex interior with a central hill and canal, compose a magnificent landscape in the lunar morning or evening, entirely vanishing beneath a Sun risen but half way to the meridian. 4.
structure is either always, or temporarily, multiple. Short in the last, Kater in this century saw, on rare occasions, several concentric fine lines upon its surface. The strongest of these, named after Encke, who first drew attention to it in 1837, is perceived from time to time rather outside the middle of the ring. Jacob sees it constantly at Madras, and P. Smyth found it very distinct in the pure sky of the Peak of Teneriffe ; Lassell and Secchi find only a dusky mark like a pencil line,
eye will be more effective than any glass, except the appropriate instrument called a Comet-finder : high powers may be used for the details of the nucleus, but the contraction of the field and the want of contrast must always be allowed for. Small comets are frequently nothing but luminous mists without trains, sometimes without central condensation ; — as we ascend in the scale, nuclei, trains, envelopes, and various 14a THE SOLAR SYSTEM. anomalous appearances succeed, depending, it is
far s in afinefield. [About -^ from f Aquil. towards a and /5 Sagitt. are two 6 mag. stars, near together, visible to naked eye: the n p of these is a fine wide pair—6, 8 —yellow, pale lilac] [ 15—6 mag.—yellow— i ° n o f \ Antin. forms a grand pair with a reddish purple star.] [68—about xxh 20m S 4 0 50'—7 mag. is one of a pretty triangle: a little s^7 69, j mag.] [About xxh 28™ N 1" lies a triangle, the most s of which is a wide pair, — 7, 9 or 1 o — orange, blue. All the Galaxy in Aquila is
close on the eye-piece, with a hole in the side of the cone to view the image. All being arranged, we shall find four points especially worthy of attention: l, the dark spots; 2, the faculse ; 3, the mottled appearance ; 4, the transparent atmosphere. 1. The Dark Spots. These are not always visible ; the disc is occasionally entirely free from them, but more frequently one or more will be in sight. Unless very small, they usually consist of two perfectly distinct parts ; a dark " nucleus,"
