The Telescope and its Revelations

This was the subject of a lecture delivered at the Guild Hall on Wednesday by Professor Ball, LL.D., F.R.S., astronomer royal for Ireland, under the auspices of the Doncaster Microscopical and General Society. The Rev, Canon Brock, M.A. presided, and there was a very good attendance.

Th Chairman, in introducing the lecturer, said the society had been very fortunate in obtaining the services of Professor Ball. His qualities were so well known that it would be idle for him to expatiate on them. He only regretted that the back seats were not as well filled as those at the front.

The lecturer first described the introduction of the telescope and its gradual improvement, and afterwards explained its construction, and the working of the larger instruments. He next spoke of the human eye by day and by night; explained the dimensions and power of several of the larger telescopes; and lastly described the bodies that could be seen by their use.

In his description of the moon, he remarked that it was believed that this body was one mass of huge craters and mountains. It was generally understood that the moon was uninhabited, and this conclusion was arrived at by the fact that there were no appearances of either water or atmosphere.

Proceeding to Saturn, the lecturer remarked that the earth was but a very insignificant body to this. Saturn was surrounded by large rings, and was enveloped in one vast mist, no doubt caused by the immense heat of the body.

The nearest star was twenty billion of miles from the sun, and consequently it was difficult to learn but little about them. Besides the stars they could see, there was reason to believe that there were myriads of dark stars which were unseen, even aided by the power of the telescope.

The lecturer then explained the binary stars and their revolutions, and afterwards the great Nebula in Andromeda, the ring Nebula in Lyra, the great cluster in Hercules, the spectrum of stars, the spectrum of the Nebulae, and the Great Nebula in Arion.

The whole of the lecture was illustrated by views of the various bodies shown by a powerful ox-hydrogen lantern.

At the close the Chairman thanked the lecturer on behalf of the audience, and Professor Ball having replied. The company dispersed.

[Doncaster Gazette, 9 November 1883]