WELLINGTON CITY OBSERVATORY.

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 60, 8 September 1934, Page 11

WELLINGTON CITY OBSERVATORY.

After many weeks of disappointing weather, the sky was clear last Saturday evening, visitors' night at the City Observatory. The absence of a moon enabled good advantage to be taken in the observation of stars through the nine-inch telescope. Witli the planet Jupiter, which has caused considerable interest, to visitors, now setting early, compensation is gained with Saturn —the ringed planet—-high in the east soon after sunset. Besides the observations through the telescope, a lecture was given on the analysis of light and its use in astronomy. The principles of a spectroscope were well demonstrated with extremely simple and. perhaps somewhat crude-looking apparatus. To explain the spectrum, it was shown how scientists had found it necessary to consider the atomic structure of matter. One of the earliest results from this study was the realisation that the sun is surrounded by an atmosphere of gases, cooler than the hot central core. Examination of the light from stars soon revealed the all-im-portant fact that they, too, were suns similar to our own, and differing only in age. A summary was, given of the many different uses to which the spectroscope was put by astronomers, and it >was' easily evident that this powerful tool had caused the great growth of astronomy during the last few decades. The Observatory will be open to the public this evening, at 7.30 o'clock, when the telescope will be used if the weather' is suitable, and a lecture given on the brightness of the stars. The Observatory is situated in the Botanical Gardens at. Kelburo. _ ' ' j