ee TELESCOPE Observatory Administration Building * Iu this Issue: Tonansiatla, Mexico Vol. L No. 2 Mexico's New National Christmas Story December, 1941 Observatory Progress in Extragalactic 20 conts “Sun-Gazers on Tutujan Hill” Research *” The Forgotten Planets The Stars for DecemberLONGINES uv, y ah ag hae, TSC ‘Ariation today owes much to those pict ‘who, with daring ocean hight, focased Hon ‘on the postoives of the airplane. And racially al of them Byrd, Chamberlain, Bost Belchen, Matern, Hughes and others tuted Longines Watskes for navigation. Fallow: {ag the tal fey Based, Pan osencen, Royal Dutch, ard American Export Ainines iad down thes fardiang oveen routes, ene agen Tanginos Watcher sorved their navigncrs, kil, experience and. workmanship ‘ontricton of aviation cyhavecontinated it"Tangines Watcha, ‘Wittnauer Watches st $27 50° upward, prod ucts of Longines-Wittnauer Walch Co. nc, Montreal, Geneva, ho ee Ascend 2 Sey axp Tetescore ant re TELESCOPE ee A. Froenen, Ja, Editor Hevey Srevce Froenna raging Editor dard A. Helbed Paci W. Mert, Henry Nori Ruel. Princeton U Perey Wi. Witherel, Sond. A Deoneid H. Mensel, Harvard ‘Oscar E. Mantig, Tose tory: Charles H. Soy Editors Note... TA itetene Ines ee eee a) an oe | | 1 can’t say that T was particu- will offer united opposition then you Vat. I, No. CONTENTS Decemaex, 1948 COVER: The sciministrtion building nor one ction. Th tart J Bok MEXICO'S NEW NATIONAL OBSERVATORY Bort J. ® 2 'SUN-GAZERS OM TUTUJAN HILL" Foster 0. & 5 THE FORGOTTEN PLANETS—Harry Stub 7 CHRISTMAS STORY—Willism H 5 VENUS AS THE CHRISTMAS STAR—Jose A. Fitep " HARLOW SHAPLEY HONORED 2 PROGRESS IN EXTRAGALACTIC. RESEARCH is 4 AN OBSERVATION OF THE SOLAR CORONA 6 Kascear Assen 18 Gleanings for ATMs n Astronomical Aneedotet 13 Here and There with Amateurs 2 eginner' Page 17 News Notes ’ Boats and the Sky 20 Observer's Page ™ Do You Know? 19 Planetarium Notes a The Stars for December % BACK COVER: Stophan's 9 NGC. 791720. f |M exic o's New National Observatory By Bar J. Box Harvard College Observatory EXICO i balding + oor sana IV oiereessy! te ne im ce Eg lpentapen fo mies est of Mea Ciy."The aca Months ae silo mies south ol (aed Tome The land for the observatory was given by the state government of Pucbla, which helped further by providing the buildings and a road that leads-from the Pan-Amer highway south of Puebla through zntla to the observatory bill. Gov eror Gonzalo Bautista of Puebla is proud fof the new observatory and if all goes according to plans, the shrubs and trees that are to be planted should tura the observatory grounds into one of the Finest gardens of the State of Puebla The observatory is stafed by the De partment of Public Education. ‘The stall ‘consists now of Sr. Erro, the director, Dr. Carlos Gracf, the assistant director (Ph. D. ‘owner of the on The dome of Se. Tal Mexican a private sbecr Photo by Wl hotograph taken on the roof of the h me of Pucba's a Mrs. Bok; Joyce Bok; Sr, Taboada, Mexico's leading. amatent ratory with a rising fi The Mexican home of Harvard's 3inch Rove camera (at left). Photo by Sr. D. Tabooda from Massachusetts Institute of Tech nology), and Professors Escalante, Urquijo and Revlls, as regular staff members. Sr Alva will be in charge of the mechanical shop. The observatory will be well equipped with instruments bought with f vided directly by P plans call for two or three the Ross type, with inches, a 12inch visual reflector, goinch Schmidt came to Harvard's new Jewett te this moment, a 3.inch Ross c ns pro sident Camacho, The ameras_of pertures of 3 to 5 ‘ery’ similar ae, At already in operation and Sr. Erro’s visual scope in the troy and it is hope that the instrument will The Perkin Elmer Corp, Glenbrook, Cons of $e. si oada, From left to righ: and John Bok i visble om the right to the rear e auth and the mounting is under construction in the shops of Harvard College Observatory. The program for the new observatory is being planned partly in cooperation with Harvard College Observatory. Sr. Erro ind Prof. Escalante have long been active in the A.A.VS.0, and the study of south: crn variables will naturally be part of the program of research. Milky Way xe search will probably be the second im portant field of study for the observatory, The telescopic equipment has been planned with special reference to progeams of star magnitudes, and southern hemisphere Other fields of activity have yet to be de it seems very likely. that raphic studies of meteors and per he undertaken in the near future The observatory at Tonanzintla is i a very favorable location for the types of 1g undertaken. It alley of Cholula famous pass through which 400 years ago Cortes led his band of invaders on his almost fantastic. trp from Cholula to Mexico City, is almost directly research that_are_ be is ona small hill in Cortez Pass, the west of the observatory ata dis It sep Popocatepetl_ and apped top: Cholula, nfold pyramid of Cholula, the bla, and the beautiful uat-grim-looking mountain Malinche named after Cortez’ Indian mistress. On a dear day—and there are many such i cr aplus one extta church for leap years! On Observatory Hill itself one finds many Amtec relies from preCorez days. A 2ominute search of almost any part of the hill is ape to yield several picces of old Aztec pots, with the characteristic Aztec omaments still clearly recognizable Pucbla and the valley of Cholula are fn the high Mexican plateau at an alt- tude of well over 7,000 feet. ‘The latitude of the observatory is +19", and it is therefore in a strategic position for studies of the southern hemisphere. ‘The climate i delightfully cool and during the winter ‘months (November to May) excellent for observations. During the other half of the year it rains frequently in the after: noon and the clouds are apt to remain during most of the night, But even during the unfavorable season there are generally one or two clear nights a week that are ideal for astronomical observa tions. Tn. mid-winter, when clouds are almost unknown, the temperature rarely falls below freezing at night. Because ‘of the summer rains, the weather in sum- mer is quite comfortable, not unlike the weather that we enjoy in Boston during early May. There are plans for a continuous ex change of stat members between Tonan: zinla and Harvard. Sr. Erro and Dr Graef have both spent about a year ‘working at Harvard College Observatory; hveay department of Puebla in th rec o by the a fe of six weeks, 4 Sky anp Tetescore Photo by the auth Prof. Recillas has now been our guest for almost a year, It is planned that mem bers of the staff of Harvard College Ob- seevatory spend from time to time four to five weeks at Tonanzintla, where a special visitors’ cottage has been built to accommodate visitors from the United ~The pictures that aecompany this artide show how the four Boks had the ‘good fortune to be the first ta be invited, even though the cottage was not yet ready The Milky Way program of the Mex can observatory has been planned in con nection with the programs of the “star counting circuit.” ‘The Mexicans are planning to look out especially for the starcounts and analyses in the section of the Milky Way in Puppis and Vela and, as far as weather conditions permit, in the regions of intermediate latitudes near the galactic center. A projected study of the regions around the south galactic pole completes the plans for the galactic part of the program. An extension of the Mt Wilson catalogue of Selected Areas to include the ateas at declination | —30 tinder consideration “The research pro gram, av it has been proposed for the new ‘observatory, willl add more. vital data. to that already being ac cumulated in the furthering of astro: ‘nomical knowledge All staff members at Tonanzintla will probably spend one or two days each Week in Mexico City where they will The lecture at the University of Mexico. new national observatory wi supplement the observatory at Tacubaya where Dr. Gallo has long been the di- rector, The Tacubaya observatory” has cmphasized mostly time serviee, fundae mental work in stellar positions, and the completion af a zone for the dstragraphic Catalogue. There will therefore be very lie overlapping of the research activities of the two observatories, and the Univer: sity of Mesico is indeed fortunate to have among sts teachers staff members of both observatories. The creation of the mew institution will make i possible for the University of Mexico to offer opportunities for graduate work in astronomy. The formal dedication of the new ob- servatory wll probably take place in the second half of February, when a. group ‘of scientists from the United. States may down to Mexico City and Tonanzintla to take part in a symposium that is being arranged for the occasion. The Mexican frovernment is already busy making plans for the dedication, which promises o be. come one of the noteworthy astronomical ars of ga.” ‘Tonancinl planing to show off to best advantage at that time, This summer notices were posted in the town ordering every home owner to paint his house freshly before the dedication. A threat of a a0-peso ine for evaders made it clear that the town fathers are proud of the new observatory! The sservatry is signin in many ways. Ttrepresents frst of all an impor- tant addon tothe Ist of American ob- servatories and. with ts equipment, lati tude, climate, and an energetic staff, it should soon be one of the best-known ob: servatories of the world. In Mexico it stands as the symbol of the new Mexico, the provd Mexico that is taking its place among. the strong independent nations of the world. For us in the United States ie stands in a way ae symbol of Pan Americanism, for it is, more than any ther observatory, an institution into the Cceation of hich gone the best efforts of both Mexican and American