IN STARRY SKIES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 134, 4 December 1930, Page 28

IN STARRY SKIES

(By "Omega Centauri.")

ASTRONOMY FOR GIRL GUIDES

"WHAT IS THE USE OF ASTRONOMY ?"

An astronomicai cntliusiast is very fortunate if lie is not occasionally disturbed by some question such as that which heads this article. Thrilled ivit.li his subject, ho may have been enlarging on the delights of astronomical discovery, when suddenly he is struck, as with a cold douche, by the words, "But what, after, all, is tlio use-of astronomy'" The question is particularly exasperating because the very fact that it is asked is generally sufficient evidence that it will be impossible to find an answer to satisfy the asker. He might as well have inquired, "What is the uso of music, of literature, or of art?" It would have been easier to satisfy him as to the value of any one of these, for the great musician,, artist, or writer, often i-eeeives a very considerable pecuniary reward. But it is not this fact that makes music of valuo to the world. The most beautiful pictures would never have been

painted if the artist had always been thinking of his sales, and the amount which an author receives for his work is often no indication of the real value of hia book. It is something higher than the prospect of wealth that makes a man choose for his life's work music or literature or art. He feels an irresistible call to express himself in one of these ways, and if he is. successful his work brings beauty into the lives of thousands. Astronomy is even more fortunato in its isolation from commercial entanglements. There arc no fortunes .waiting to lure men into its service. The call is in the nature of thd subject itself. The astronomer must have something of tlio spirit of the explover. He js compelled to endeavour to find things out. His happiness lies in the delight of the search and the discovery. Half a century ago the map of New Zealand contained many blank spaces marked "unexplored at present.' 1 lip a week or a fortnight it was possible then to pass from civilisation to the untrodden wilds. When there,, no one knew .what wonders the next valley might disclose. Year by year these regions have grown smaller and smaller, and the last of! them has almost disappeared from the'map to the infinite loss of the young.New Zealander. Even the world is becoming too small to satisfy the ambitions of youth. Our aviators must long for a larger planet on which to make their endurance tests. Even Jupiter would ultimately prove too small. But in the great universe, in spite of Einstein and de Sitte'r ; ' wo have no such fear. Professor Ritchey's great telescopes will enable us' to see a hundred times as far into space as we can see now with the greatest existing instruments. This means that the visible; universe will be enlarged a million times. If this should ever be fully explored our successors will demand still greater telescopes. The need of costly, and still more costly, instruments is the brake which restrains tlio progress of astronomy. In the hope of loosening this brake it is well to answer courteously our imaginary inquirer. The actual value of astronomy to a country in pounds, shillings, and pence is the very last thing a lover of the science cares to dwell on. But in : the history of the development of civilisation this value has been prov-

Ed to 'bo enormous. The earliest interest in astronomy was in connection with religion. Man naturally worshipped the sun, on whoso benelicent beams ho is so utterly dependent, and ho was grateful to the moon, which, in its season, gave such a glorious light by night. Then the planets, which seem *to wander about amongst tho stars, were thought of as having unusual powers. Later tho sun and the stars were found to afford the best, indications of time and of direction. Day and night, the months and' the seasons are marked' astronomically, and the sun at. noon and the polo star at night give clear indications" of tho points of the compass. But whilst as yet only a rough use was made of these, astronomy had already begun to have a great intellectual effect. Man craves to know what everything means, llow far off, he asks, are the sun and the nioon and tho stars? Why do tlie stars make their daily journey round tho earth whilst the moon takes a month and the sun a year to go once round amongst the stars? Such problems as these formed a grand, training ground for tlio intellect, and the science of mathematics owes its development, in great part, to astronomy. Whilst tho world was considered, flat explorers did not fully roa; Use the need of astronomy, but as soon as it was known to be a spinning globe astronomical methods were necessary to fix positions .on it. Without the science, navigation out of sight of land was impossible. As traffic by land and sea increased it became essential to havo an accurate determination of time; and sound methods of determining latitude and longitude at sea. This led to the establishment of Govern-

ment observatories in many countries. These have grown with the development of astronomy and many now undertake a wide rango of research, but the determination of time and the prediction of phenomena are still essential functions. Other observatories have been founded whose aims are restricted to research in pure science. No one knows at what moment some discovery of great commercial importance may be made. This has no part in planning the research. It is made with the object of discovefing some of the secrets of Nature. The two great sciences of physics and astronomy have now joi#ed forces, and the vast region in which they overlap is called astrophysics. In it many astounding discoveries have recently been made. . It is found, for instance, that (the messages brought by light from distant parts of the universe are much fuller than had hitherto been imagined. Methods of deciphering them have been discovered, and thus much niosf unexpected information has been, received about distant stars and nebulae. Whilst these messages are telling of the inconceivably great, they are giving at. the same time most valuable hints of the behaviour of the infinitesimal parts of an atom. This information is, leading to a conception of the universe' which, with increasing knowledge, grows continually in grandeur and beauty. The true-value of astronomy lies in its power of adding to the fullness of human life. Man" is no longer a mental prisoner/On this, speck of cosmic dust, and. though, he cannot travel iii"* body to other parts ho may enjoy them in pictures and may road, and meditate on the messages received from them night by,night in tho great observatorie.s. It is hoped that Guides will not think thjt their astronomical work finished when they win their star badges.. We look to them to lot others know the pleasure of. astronomy. It is useful to be.able to tell by.the stars the points of the compass and the hour of the night, but it is far better to know what'astar is and how.one star differs'from another star in glory, or when.the new telescopes come into use, to learn hb\v : spiral nebulae arc grouped into nobler systems. "With this wider outlook (astronomy will provide a source of endless delight. . '