Vol. 1, No. 6 ‘APRIL, 1942 20 Gents * ae TELESCOPE In This Issue : Sojoum in Mexico An Amateur Looks at Mars The Era of Nabonassar Clouds Cbeervatory Astronomy at the Inter American Scientific Conference The Starry Heavens in Aprilpee The Editors Note... “CLOUDS ECLIPSE ECLIPSE” 'HOUGH the New York Herald Tribune headlined a8 above ite report of the frustrations met by amateur astronomers {in the northeastern United Staten in ob- serving the total lunar eclipse om March 2nd, its story of the unseen eclipse was three quarters of a column long. A dozen newspapers in New York and vicinity gave ‘spice to the occasion; and seven news Paper men were om hand at Westbury, ‘where the New York observers gathered yidently, even an astronomical faslare fs valuable as “relief” from more vital problems. This is certainly true for the ‘amateurs preparing and participating in ‘any “expedition,” and also, in loss meas lure, for the general public Members of the New York Amateur Astronomers Association, led by George YY, Plachy, seeretary, and Peter A. Leay- en, chiet photographer, set up a battery ‘of eamerss, cinecameras, and telescopes, im the potato feld of Joseph Seanetder, at Westbury, L. 1, only to have thelr p ‘arations go for naught. About 25 mem- bers of the society gathered at the appointed hour, but they “took a few ‘lctures of each other and stood around Aisconsolately,” according to the Herald Tribune. ‘In many places the clouds were thick throughout the evening, while at others the Iate partial phases were seen through misty veil. READERS of Sky and Tetescope and ‘other astronomical publications often ‘see references to Harvard Announcement Cards, particularly in matters dealing with Hew discoveries and announcements 4m the astronomical world. However, not fall of our readers may be aware that these cards are available to any inte ‘ested person, and that by their use an amateur astronomer may turn his tele- Scope to a new comet, asteroid, ot star, nearly as promptly as the professional themselves. ‘The Harvard Announcement Cards re- ort all typet of observations requiring Drompt attention, and include such dis overies by European, African, and As fate astronomers as are reported by radio for cable from the Copentiagen Observa- tory, clearinghouse in Europe. Approx. ‘mately 40 cards are published each y: ‘printed on penny postcards. Subscril oy one dotlar for 25 cards, 82.75 for 100 ‘ards; address Announcement Cards, Harvard College Observatory, Cambridge, ‘Mass, Recent titles of cards include: Comet sida; Red Star; Comet Schwassman- Wachmann; Comet Van Gent: Jupiter VII; New White Dwart: 7 Andromedae, Jupiter X; Oecultation Observations, oath SCOPE. Editor TE , Cuanurs A. Fooenun, Jn, Hitew Spence Fens Copyright, 1942, by ‘Sty Publishing Corporation Managing EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Clement S. Brainin, Amstour Astronomers Assocation, New York: Edward A. Hol ch, Mirwautes Astonam'cal Society; Donald H: Menzel, Hasvard ul W. Merril, Mt. Wilson Observatory! Oscar E. Monnig, Texas co Univenty Sry hates og Bond “Astronomical Chub ACCORDING to Leland 8. Copeland, who reports some of the story of the Seven Sisters in his department this ‘month, “Time exposures disclose that ‘most of the Pleiads are surrounded by nebulous material, especially Merope and Maia, so it 1s really true that Merope covered her fave.” | the backcaver photograph reveals | wispy clouds sarrounding: Aleyone (cen ter), Metope (upper right), and Main Capper tet), which with Eteetra. (upper enter) form the bowl of the Pleiades’ ‘lpper.” Streaks of nebulosity ron ver tically (west and east), looking almost ke defects nthe reproduction. The Deculigr patterns around each star are ‘caused by diffraction past the secondary. Alas (lower center) and its compan: ton, Ploione, form the end of the dipper's hhandle. Yerkes astronomers report that Pleione exhibits the most conspicuous shell spectrom ever observed in any star rhot known to be a nova or a novalike object. At the Mexican conference, Dr. Otto Struve deseribed exceedingly rapid Vou. I, No. 6 CONT COVER: The crineipal buildings at Tenanins Mans” Upper lett The edminsration bul Upper right? Building housing on, ssllary Lower left: The dome of the mew Schiidh na quite comple Lever ight: The strat (oag bo te SOJOURN IN MEXICO—Donold H. Mon:s! ‘AN AMATEUR LOOKS AT MARS—. Russll Sith THE MARTYR OF 1600—Leland S. Copeland THE ERA OF NABONASSAR—E:oar W. Woolard ASTRONOMY AT THE INTER-AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE Cecilia Payne. Saposchhin 4“ CLOUDS—Charlac F. Brooks “ ‘Amateur Astronomers " 20 ‘Astronomical Anecdotes Fa 2 eginners Page ie 7 loots and the Sty 2 ™ Do You Know? 5 a The Slarey Heavens in April 1% BACK COVER: The Pleiedes,photoaraphed wih by H.W, Babcock, Exposure, two hoor, wi fhe top, ond the scala af the angraving SKY_AND TEL Canaan” Srgle. copes:"'30 cent" Mike checks arate net errno See oa i about ore mi SCOPE ig pubaed ronthly by Sky Pablsing Corpeaon. Baal wong see. Harare Gnlege Otlerator, Caytgc, Mas = Ploindes. “He suggests that Pl shell may be the result of a ‘As a corollary, the Pleiads near the | center ofthe cluster seem to rotate faster | than those near its edge, which may {ndleate thatthe rapid rotation is caused by the nebalosity, which is of the "re fection” type—its spectrum similar to | that of the astociated Ztype Pleads. ‘This indicates that the nebulous ma | ‘terial consists chiefly of dust particles, so Dr. Strave's suggestion ts closely | ‘with Dr. Fred L. Whipple's discusston_ Of the possible formation of stare oWt ‘of interstellar dust clouds, ‘The Pleiades are about 100 parsees (225 light years) distant. Plates taken by Rutherfard in 1868-1874 compared ‘with those by Titus recently reveal £6 Km/see. as the mean internal. space ‘velooty of the 26 brightest Pleiads. This indicates a total of 260 solar masses, of ‘which Hertzsprung accounts for about 200 among observed members. The 7: ‘mainder apparently consists of very Taint stars aad the nedulosity. ENTS ‘Apnit, 1942 ‘Obteratory, photoaraphed by De. Donald H. iding. conttring the lecture room end brary Seeicope—and ‘one of the regions fow teen, ‘The entra ulling revere he 3binch Crosley eflactor af Lick Observatory full aperture, anvary 13, 1999. Wath is of mater to 201 seconde of aes ‘an -*eadiwigs oS Pablching the Pont OWce, New Rechte, N, Yu onderNV the morning of Tuesday, February 7th, President Manuel ‘Avila Ca macho of Mexico formally dedicated Mexico's new national astrophysical ob- servatory at Tonanzintla in the sate of Pucbla. Under clear Mexican skies, and with the famous peaks of Popocatepel and Taaccihuatl looming on the horizon, 27 astronomers, physics, and _ geologists from the United States and Canada met with many Latin-American representatives fo celebrate the important occasion. The Mexican dignitaries included, besides the President, the former president, Gen Abelardo Rodeiguer, Governor Dt. Gon alo Bautista of Pucbla, members of the presidental cabinet, the presidents of the Supreme judicial and legislative bodies, the rectors of the universities of Mexico, and representatives of the Mexican scientific focietes. Alout 10200 Mexicans, some from. great distances, came to witness the feremonies: soldiers, business men, stv dents, peasants President Camacho unveiled the memo- fial tablet, and. Governor Bautista, in his Aedicatory address, stressed. the impor tance of a hemispheric unity in all elds from defense to education andl pure re search. ‘The governor's words made clear the stand that Mexico has taken, beside the United States, against the forces of aggression. His plea was for cooperation, thased on mutual friendship and under standing Dr. George Z. Dimitrof, of Harvard, for the beneit of the Mexican officals then described and demonstrated the new telescopic equipment. The major instr iment of the new observatory 18 4 27-3 inch Schmidt telescope, constructed in the United States. (See Sty and Telescope, December, 1941, “Mexice’s New National Observatory") In spite of the war dif suis, six months sa the entire construc tioa of the telcope. The Perkin Eliner Corporation, of Glenbrook, Conn., made At Mil Cumbre SOJOURN IN MEXICO By Donato H. Menzet Harvard College Observatory the optical parts. Their chief optician, Halley Mogey, is responsible for the per. fection and high precision of the optical surfaces, The optics have been so designed ‘that sar images of uniformly excellent {quality will appear anywhere over the & inchsquare photographic plate. The tel scope mounting was designed and con sructed under the direction of Dr. Dimi troff in the shops of Harvard College Observatory. The mechanical work was supervised by E. A. Guertin and Walter A. Locke The new national observatory is lo. cated on land provided by the government ff the state of Pucbla, near a small town called Tonanzintl, which of Aztec orig’ phone players furnished ent so even the oxen drawing car lies about Ro miles east of Mexico City Dr. Luis Enrique Eero, the director, plans to make special studies of the Milly Way Since the latitude of the observatory. is 19", some of the rich touthern sky inaccessible to observations by instruments farther north, is strategically study. The climate is excellent, especially during the winter. The program of the new observatory also calls for studies of variable stars, meteors, and the sun, ‘On. the Februscy 17th, President’ Camacho formally opened the Inter-American Scientific Conference which lasted for the following week, with sessions held at Tonanzintla, the Univer sity of Pucb «University of tainment for the Skx ano Tetescore 3‘The old and the new Mexico, in México City. Dr. Harlow Shapley, speaking in behalf of the Ameri can scientists, reminded the assembled guests, and particularly the president, that his act in establishing a national observa tory was similar to that of other enlight: ened rulers in history. He relerred spe cifically to the cases of Greenwich and Poulkovo Observatories. Prof. Manuel F, Vallarta, distinguished Mexican scientist, whose work at the Massachusetts Institute ‘of Technology on the subject of cosmic rays is well Known, spoke for the Mexican ‘group. ‘Throughout the conference, one felt the sincerity of the words of President Ca macho, who said, in his invitation to the scientists, “The purpose of the Mexican government is to contribute to the main: tenance, in the American continent, of the progress of science and culture, and thus counteract as much as possible the paralysis of scientific and cultural activi fies in the countries devastated by war” ‘There is no question but that the con ference was among the mos important At left is « portion of (6h century), with which the new Tonansinta Observatory mai he Univers in the history of science. Its value, meas- ured solely by the large number of new dlvances and discovers reported for the first time, was unquestionably great. The international situation, however, laid a dramatic setting that ‘deepened ‘the sig nificance of the congress. The associtio both formal and informal, among the scientists of the respective countries, served to strengthen the ties of friendship between the United States and Mexico in one of the most critical periods of all time. iendship" is almost too neutral a words fellowship” perhaps expresses a. litle more clearly the spirit of the meetings “The first evening, before the assembled scientists and the Mexican officials, and more than 3,000 of the citizens of the town ‘of Puebla, Dr. Robert R. MeMath pre sented an address, illustrated with motion pictures of the planets and of solar activity taken at the MeMath Hulbert Observatory. So wel received were the presentation and the pictures, that Dr. MeMath, was called upon to give a second showing a week later in the Workers University in Mexico City Throughout the conference, the papers were presented in both English and Span ish, with Drs. Carlos Gracf and Alfredo Banos as interpreters. Several of the Americans and the majority of the Mex an participants made their own tions. Lively and often heated discussions followed the presentation of most of the papers. A surprisingly large number of topics centered on the theme of the struc ture and evolution of the stars and of the universe as a whole. It is not improbable that the conference marked the beginning of 4 new era in the study of stellar evolu tion. (‘The papers are more fully discussed by Dr, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin on page 11 of this issue.) and the scientists first returned and then, after a day's able to the The Mexican authorities picnic. lunch, which proved to be essentially a barbecue Mil Cumbres, which s literal interpretation of "a After the conferences in Puebla Tonanzitla, to Mexico City Morelia provided ay of Mich building contra oldest in Ameri strongly thousand peal.” Here, at an altnade Bf about 10000 fect, from a. promontory of a mountainside, one could. see almost countless jagged peaks, piled in configs jog jumble te the dtaue bere Ell alk native Moreian gis serenaded ary with the marinbaphone during our Ered say The following morning, Tuesday, promptly at 6:00 a.m, we were awakened by the sounds of rerackers and a military band. ‘Those who thought that the die play was in honor of the. visting af {ronomers were soon corrected. The Mead cant were mercly celebating thet Flag Day in appropriate ceremonial fashion ‘Ace breaktast, the group procecded t the vilage of Tiripetioy where ts located the University of Michoacan, founded in 1540, the oldest on the American continent. There, Dre, Adams, Russell, Shapley, nd Vallarta recived’ onorary” degrees from, the hands of the rector, Victorano ABs guiano,” Later, in this almost, primitive Wilage, were parades” and celebations, Decormed ox cans foemed a tat uated feature of the procesion which, we were assured, was jooty in hoooe of the Madd ag and the waiting asronomers The astronomers tock tuoctioe 08 shores of beautiful Lake Patzevars. ‘The citerainment provided. consisted of @ group of mask male danced wha gate an incresting exhibition of histori native pantomime, known as “the dance of the oid men,” Later, the party returned to Mexico City for the rex of the scent ‘Two days prior to our departure from Mexico, President Camacho gave a lunch: con to the members of the conference at the National Palace. It scemed significant indeed of the progressive attitude of the Mexican government that the president himself should meet with the astronomers a no less than five occasions, honoring. the group and officially recognizing the importance of pure On the last day the American Embassy, with Ambas sador and Mrs, George S. Messetsmith as hosts, gave Tuncheon 10 the as another sembled scientists As the group broke up, the evening of~ Taboas and his February 26th, everyone expressed regret, at having to leave Merico, The conferences hhad been stimulating and a times strenu us, though never boring or tiresome. The imerludes of sighusceing and of informal entertainment had been carefully planned, and proved a most welcome telatation These was thevoficial reception by Gov exnor Bautista, and the unforgetable gar equipped refractor den party given for us by Mrs. Vallarta's father, Dr. César Margain, of Mexico City There was the imprompty tea given by Mr. and Mrs. Harold Callender—he is the Mexican correspondent of the New York Times. ‘There were the visits to the pyfa ‘mids of Teotuhuacan and to the fine ob: servatory of Mexico's leading amatcur as ‘ronomer, Sr. Domingo Taboada, as well as the less official attendance at the boll. fight. ‘One will never forget the beautiful scenery, dominated by Popocatepetl, and the perfect weather. One can. scarcely express appreciation to the Mexican of cial for such items a8 scenery and climate But, for the arrangement and conduct of the conferences, must go the thanks ofall those in attendance to President Camacho for his imerest and courtesy, to Dr. Bat tista, and the other officials ofthe Mexican government, especially to Sr. Salvador ‘Duhar, first secretary of the Mexican Em- assy, whase thoughtful attention to our comfort made the vist doubly pleasant ‘And finally, to Director Erro and Assistant Director Graef, of the new national abe servatory at Tonanzintla, go thanks and best wishes of all American scientists. Tt is to be hoped and expected that this new ‘observatory, under such capable leadership, will rapidly assume its appropriate place observatories in the world, "That Mexican science appreciates the cultural values is cxemiplified by the motto, ia Greek, im: pressed on the main building at Toman. Zintla. The words are from Aeschylus Prometheus: “I fre men from the obses sion of death DO YOU By L. J. 1. Score four potnts for cach question correctly ansicered, and one point for each question schere you do not attempt to felect the ansicer” 1, ‘Thero is no Istmagnitude star in a. Carina ‘e Canis Minor 1B Conheus 4 Cyems 2 One of the following constellations does not contain part of the Milky a. Clretnas ©, Castam b. No a. Ara 3 "The ecliptic passes through a Sagittarius. Cyenus Perseus @ Sertans 4. One of these constellations ts some times visible from the latitude of New York &. Volane ©. Pavo % Octane 4. Corona Australis 5. ‘There is a 2nd-magnitude star in a. Lynx ©. Aquarius , Lupus a. Pegasus @ On an April evening you would not expect to see the constellation 1. Serpe ©, Leo i, Pegasus 4. Canis Minor One of the following tx not the bright fs Alpha Herealls ¢. Alpha Scorpit , Alpha Hydrae a. Alpha Tour B ‘The celestial equator does not pass through », Aquarius @ Ophiuchus 2 Which of the following 1s not a con: stellation KNOW? Larteur ‘& Corona Horealis¢, Piscis Rorealis . Corona Australis d. Pisete Australie 10, A star brighter man the 4th magni tude could be found tn , Columba 4, Chamaeleon a. Ceelum », Crater TZ, Im what constellation does each of the following points fall? Count four Pointe for each correct answer 1. north pote 2 south pole 3. north galactic pole 4. south galactic pote 5. orth pote ofthe ectipti 8 south pote ofthe ecliptic 7. vernal equinox autumnal equinox 1, Achernar Bootes Aldebaran —b. Canis Minor Algol © Cygnus ASTRONOMY IN HARVARD'S IMMER SESSION F particular interest to those who eon template special war research or the teaching of war courses in sotence will be the special courses in astronomy tobe offered during the summer session at Har. vard this year, ‘The university, now being Fun on 12 months" continuous Schedule, will not hold its usual Graduate Summer’ Conference in Astronomy and Astrophysics ‘The summer session will be divided into two six weeks period, one from June 29th to August Sth, and the other from August 10th to September 18th During the frst period, James G. Baker ory and deatgn of optical ‘General Problems ‘Optical Systems Stress upon the photographic problems ‘mporta activition will be made by Dir, George %. Dimitrott In his course in photography, to be given in the mad period. Also, during this same od, Dr, Donald #. Menzel's course in theoretical physles and astrophysics. will icude material suitable to the prepara: ton of advanced war research students, Adjustment of the regular undergrad: ate course in descriptive astronomy, to. be riven In the first period, has been’ made by Dr. Bart J. Bok, in order rm to the recommendations of the mittee of Section D of the A.A.A8. This, and Dr. Fred L. Whipple's two under Eraduate courses in navigation, will be There will also be a series of 12 col Joquia on Tuesday evenings, open to visit Sky ano Teuxscore 5 ; ‘