PATHETIC STORY

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 157, 30 March 1926, Page 7

PATHETIC STORY

SACRIFICES IN INTERESTS OF SCIENCE FAMOUS ASTRONOMER By TuLßSßirH— Press Association Copyright. (Rec. March 29, 7.45 p.m.) London. March 29. The "Daily Chronicle” publishes a pathetic story of the sacrifices made by Mr. William Denning, F.R.A.S., in the interests of science. He is now 78 years old, and lives alone in Bristol on a small civil list, pension. He is only able to take liquid food, owing to hardships experienced in earlier life, when for many years he spent the nights in his garden observing the stars, even when snow was on the ground. He often spent the following ,day in his study, checking his observations. The face of the heavens became so familiar to him, that a glance of the naked eye was sufficient to tell him whether there had been any alteration of the larger stars, and so he was able to make his famous discovery of the new star Cygnus bn August 20 1920. Mr. Denning’s observations recently proved that the temperature fifty miles above the earth was tropical.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. [Mr. Denning is a famous amateur astronomer and writer on astronomical subjects. He began the study of astronomy at the age of 17, and has disco ’ered five comets, some new nebulae, and has made a number of planetary observations. His principal labour has been in the meteoric department, in which field he has accumulated a great number of observations and discovered some features of meteoric systems never previously recognised. His civil pension of £l5O was granted in 1904.]