CITY OBSERVATORY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 77, 1 April 1933, Page 13

CITY OBSERVATORY

The interest which prevailed among visitors to the City Observatory last Saturday night was due to the very fine night, enabling the lelescope to be used for observation purposes. While the main attractions were the two brilliant planets. Mars and Jupiter, it was soon realised that there were many other gems of interest in the sky, hidden from ordinary eyes unless the magic of a fine telescope was brought into use. The Jewel Casket in the Southern Cross, and the great gaseous nebula in the sword of Orion were objects among many which were viewed. A short lecture was delivered on star clusters, illustrated by lantern Rjide!. Commencing with the coarser groupings of the stars as seen by the naked eye, the lecturer showed tho finer clustering as seen by some of .the world's greatest telescopes, including one photograph taken with the telescope at Wellington. Interesit was aroused * when reference was mad c to the groupings of stars in the distant spiral nebulae, and. to the fact that thesic 'nebulao arc really 'systems of stars external to our own. The observatory will be open to the public tonight from 7.510 when - tho telescope will be used ior observation, and a lecture given on "Signals from the Stars." Interest should be aroused in this lecture by means of a special demonstration model of a spectroscope made by one of the observers. This model will help in the clearer understanding of one of the most important of modern astrophysical instruments. The observatory is situated in the Botanical Gardens at Kelburn.