CAWTHRON OBSERVATORY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 8 January 1914, Page 4

CAWTHRON OBSERVATORY

ARRIVAL OF PROFESSOR « EVERSHED, . Professor John Evershed, director *of > the Kodaikanal Observatory,.- India, - ar- '• rived in Nelson to-day to report'• on| thesite fox - the erection of tHey(SwtKwa; Observatory, for which Mr. Thomas -'•> Cawthron lias promised a s>mr sufficient t-o endow jmd equip it. Professor Ever-,;, shed, who is shed, was met on arrival bv the- ; j\saybr , (Mr Lock) and Mr. I s VG.' Gibbs. The visitors a.re staying at "WainuiJ" and/, are expected to remain in v Nelson'vfor--. about a month. _ Speaking to a "Mail representative ° to-dav on the subject of his visit, Pro-, fessor Evershed said there i was* a splp,r ' union for co-operation in solar work—the International Solar Uiuorl, ,:which-> met every three years- this year.■;-the meeting place is at Bo'nn, ,-m. Gciunany. • VALUE OF THE OBSERVATORY.* The JNelson observatory .would!-" {no doubt work in co-operation Union, so as to prevent any overlap--., ping. At the same timo we should!have\ to make continuous records of-V-theS;'. changes on in the sun; and.> that was where the great value of ~tha N<elson observatory would come "in*, bMausej. it would fill up the gap between' Jhdia arid California., wliere at the present time there was no observatory. Profes-' sor Evershed showed several interesting plates of the sun taken at the-ii£odai-, kanal Observatory, and rem^ke4- ! 'that this was the class of work' that; : wbuld form a portion of that undertaken; by. the* Nelson observatory, loir • \WKich'. ; .-a special spectro-heliograpli would pessary. This instrument was based on the principle of first throwing a,,spectrum of the sun's rays on a. screen, and for various lines in the spectrum being photographed. In that way it.was possible to obtain miniature photographs Of the various elements in the sun, an<i i to deal with the effects and nature of each element. "The more we study " the ! sur. the less we seem to know about it-, and that is why it is- important, to -increase the opportunities of solar observation," said Professor Evershed. his experience, he would be able to, d#-. sign an observatory for Nelson' which' | would perhaps be better than that jat ! Kodaikanal. . The sun was a very important study, and as the whole life oh the earth depended on it "the visitor thought it rather strange that rather i more study had not* been given, to at in. the past. : _ ' I THE SITE. Questioned as t-? a, suii^bljsr'fgoi' - an observatory, Broti&asoi: . it yras of the,, utmost; | the sil» : selepte4 •• should be the tyngiliideTwas^ ' site Here was a '^n©,; would fill the gap at' ' prj^ipt,'.existed between India - and California in the world. There -Vyere, . ether, important considerations in - the. site of a solar observatory, stich . as. the. amount of sunshine in the year, .the clearness an<l steadiness of the a atmosphere (particularly in the iniornlhg), and clear sk:es. ;,i hehad received in this connection- appeared very favourable. . : STUDY OF SUN SPOTS: - " Professor Evershed wept; on to - say j that the most pressing, qu^tion"with:TeJ gard to solar sunspots, and the elucidation;:,of rT what I are sunspots. "We do'not kno.w," lie I said, "what they are, orV the. nature jo>f | their connection with terrestrial' phenomena. We know they are connected, but not what that connection'ds.. Astronoirers all over the world a-rp; studying the connection 'between fiojar. phenomena and meteorological 'chahgtes. This was so in: India particularly, _ bef c{iu§e the monsoon ih India was : an ixn-, portaiii factor in tile prosperity. of- the country, and the Governmentalways wants to know whatis going to be, so as' to enable'"theim to provide against bad times." Professor Evershed added that -he had come, here i» the interests of pure science, and' the advancement- of" any- scientific, question was bounds eventually to have a -practical bearing, because the sciences were all } intimately connected, if you'.,.advanced one you assisted in advancing . . all'. " ' ' v ' . - NELSON LEADING THE WAT. "Nelson seeir-s to be leading the way m the British Empire in regard to solar physics," went on Professor Eversbed, afte;r expressing- pleasure- at -Mr..' Caw- • thfpij's ipuiiificence. "We do not;often get benedictions for science,- in -which .there is ho, immediate prospect,for. material gain! Tliis branch of scientific study is very interesting to" those.who take' it up, and 1 the .thanks of aire due to those who assist research Vork. in the wa\r Mr - Cawthron has done. Scientists ill over .the world -will thank liim ; and the Royal Astronomical -Society of London passed a special resotatfori ip regard to it. Ifancy.p'eople i» New Zealand must be rather more en- ' lightened than those in other- parts, because, as far'as I havd gone, they seen* to;Jiave. shown an intelligent interest in* science. ■ - •/ '. With ? regard to a staff, Professor Ev4|sb?d' said it i would be >;.necesjjs!v<'tb • bave a director and an assistant/dxreo- , iori';and- possibly amechanic,.. N ■ where Professor "Evershed is stationed, is a sanatorium Southern India,: in> the ■ Madura * trict; Madras, situated in the, Pafiii '' Hills, about 800Q|t.; above sea level; H« was; apfpointedt assistant, directoT, ip 1967» and: in 1911 revived pres<»nt tion. • - |Tor' thirty 'miles- the t jotiSrnpy:>t» the observatory has to be m&d&by-: 1 bullock waggon/ after ia, hjll cljmb of 15 H v .be sfcen . * any site ch'bsßnv in -Nelson; ea§y of acc the" ''pbseryatory in India.< v f*. j ; Professor is to commence his work' at-once, as. -he will - . able to remain ,in Nelson t month, having obtained >threei leave of absence the : Government 1 of India. This afternoon he met -Mr Cawthron and had'a long conversation with him on the matter. , The.report of Professor Evershed wjlll be awaited with the greatest interest.*^