1936-07-11 — Page 13

THE

HONGKONG, TELEGRAPH.

SATURDAY, JULY M, 1936.

LARGE TELESCOPE FOR H. K.

HISTORICAL

INSTRUMENT

ABGVE--) tine photograph of the telescope, which is

the second biggest Refractor, and third biggest telescope $11 China. The Objective is 13.4 inches in diameter.

TOP LEFT-A Seminarian vaing the new felescope at the Regional Seminara,

Aberdeen village. during a

recent at mounting.

RADIO BROADCAST

Relag of Dance Orchestra From Hotel Cecil RECORDED PROGRAMME From Z. B. W. on a wavelength of 265 metres (845 kilocycles):

4-7. p.m. Chinese Programte.

-7 p.in. Willem Mengelberg's Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Burymitite-Overture ́(Weber); Coriolan Overture (Beethoven); Ele- gine Melody (Grieg); Perpetuum Mobile Johann Strauss).

7.30 p.m. The B.B.C. Wireless Singers in Two Concert Waltzes.

I Wine, Women and Song (Strauss);

Morgenblatter (Morning Paper) (Strauss).

7.43 p.m. The London Palladium Orchestra,

Clasalen Selection (arr. Ewing): London Again-Suite (Eric Coate

2. Oxford

1.

Strecham Place;

p.m. Tími, Weather ani nouncements.

An-

8.03 p.m. A Variety Programme. SongThe Star and tho Itose; ... Turner Layton; Plano SoloModley No. 16.. Charlie Kunz: Orchestra- Ray Stole

Medley; Fox Trot-Same-

my gal....Tlie Bally. hooligans: Organ Solu

Solu Nol Sydney Gustard; Songs In the Mid- dle of a Kiss; You're all I need. Connie Boswell; Sung-Whisper in Your dreams.. Derek Oldham.

15 (Tenor) Piano Solo-Medley No,

Charlie Kunz; Song-I see a Tree Peter Dawson (Base-Baritone): Orchestra--Gipsy

Wine; Song-- Tzing Dustin Day...Maurice Chevalier; Orchestra-Mouse in the Block Tekly Bear's Picnic.

9 pan. Haventry News Bulletin and Announcements.

9.20 p.m. Selection from *** Arendals" (Monckton).

9.30 pm, Dance Ovelistra of the 1st. Balto: Royal Ulster Rilles, from This Hotel Cecil,

10 p.m. Be Ben from Bieventry, 12 midnight. Close Down.

TO-MORROW'S BROADCAST

Band of Royal Ulster Riftes From the Studio

· RECORDED

LEFT-The Regional Seminary, Aberdeen, where large telescope shown above is mounted,

the

INSTALLATION ON

Third Largest

in

Telescope in

WAS ONCE BIGGEST IN

THE WORLD

Specially Written for the "Telegraph”)

DUE TO THE INITIATIVE OF THE IRISH JESUITS, HONGKONG

IS SHORTLY TO HAVE THE THIRD BIGGEST TELESCOPE IN CHINA, AN INSTRUMENT WHICH, AT ONE TIME, WAS THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD.

The telescope, which has an. Objective 13.4 inches in diameter, as compared with the Royal Observatory's 6 inch Refractor, is in process of being installed at the Jesuit Regional Seminary overlooking Aberdeen.

ISLAND

China: Astronomy Fillip

tion of the Zikawei Observatory at to buy it, but Mr, Cooper was before Zase, a hill near Sungkiang, Kiang-them in the Beld,

Kil,

DR

en-

ог

about 15 miles from Shanghai. Reports that in a remote corner of This like the parent house,, which is Ireland was to be found the world's devoted to meteorology, in under the greatest telescope, erected by

rection of the Preich Jesuits, and who was then unknown in scientitle is equipped with a Twin Refractor circles. brought a number of of 18 in. (400 m) aperture, for quiries. Dr. Robinson, Director visust and photographient work; A smaller twin instrument of 100 mm, the Armagh Observatory, paid a visit

Cooper,

and te to M. photographie telemeupe of 15010 A

begun by that Visit in a very nüirked way for the) Nine years later Dr. Meyermann tion, which Markree was to hold for founded the Oservatory of Tsingtao many years in the field of Astronomy. with a Twin Refractor of 12 inch Dr. Robinson was intimately ac 1320 mm.). This Observatory pass tainted with ed in 1924 into Chinese control.

principles of pre-. tient

and astronomy.

the was of In 1999 the Sun Yat-sen Observn-

greatest help to Mr. Cooper.

was la The idea at first

study

Canton, came into existence under the directoship of Dr.

Chan

CAMATA.

It is equipped with a 250 double stars, but it was soon found mm. Refractor and a 100 mm. Astro- that the mounting was too crude, so

had to be 1lls study

temporarily abandoned. But even then, im- adjusted as It was, the instrument was so good that Dr. tile Nanking belonging to the Robinson said of it: "I have been 20 National Research Institute of A-little amused at the insignificant ap- tronomy of the Academia Sinica, peurance in my 10 inch Reflector of The chief instrument is a 24 inch some of the objects which were so (600 mm.) Reflector, the biggest very striking at Markree."

held that his, 25 nch glass in the Far East and, as far Herschel

was more powerful, but as is known, the only one of its kind, Iteflector

The largest and the most perfect

ly furnished is the one Inst found-fectly el, the Purple Mountain Observatory

Sir John

Test mountings have already been carried out, and it is anticipated that the instrument, which will be used to aid in the complete training of students for the priest China. This Observatory has also admitted the marked superiority of

hood, will be in operation in the near future.

By a strange coincidence the telescope, which is over

a century old, has a previous link with this Colony.

It comes from Markree Observatory, Co. Sligo, in the north- west of Ireland, where, from 1874 to 1883, Dr. W, Doberck, after- wards first Director of the Royal Observatory in Hongkong, was Director. Dr. Doberek left Markree Observatory in 1883 to establish and become Director of the local institution.

The Study of the Stars is not n, ning of the Ching Dynasties Jesult thing of to-day or yesterday; it goes Missionaries, notably icel, Schall back to the very dawn of history and Verbiest introduced western as

and made the That is true of China as of every tronomy into China

Six instru~ other country. Chinese tradition necessary instruments. tells us that Fu si, one of the mearts were mounted during the 17th Primeval Five

whose century, two others were added later. Emperors, reign began about 2852 B.C., was the These are now in the former Peking first to institute astronomical ob- Central Observatory. The older ones The Purple sorvations. During the reign of the have been brought to Emperor Yno knowledge of the Mountain Observatory near Nanking.

and

A 200 mm. Refractor and a 150 mm. definition in the, Markree Refractor. Astro-camera.

THE MOUNTING OF THE TELESCOPE

WAS WORLD'S BIGGEST Now there is to be still another Obviously, if results commensurate observatory and this time again in with the excellence of the telescopa Hongkong. On the north-west corner were to be achieved, the first thing of the plateau en which the Regional to be done was to have the lastru- Seminary for South China is built, ment properly mounted. There was overlooking the fishing village of a young élerk in a Dublin office with Aberdeen, there is a massive ferro-; whom Dr. Robinson discussed the concrete structure, some fifteen feet question. This was Mr. T. Grubby, high, pointing due north and south, whe afterwards wus to become It is destined to form the base ofį faincus as the maker of astronomical a telescope which when first made instruments. The young man sooN was the biggest in the work.

natisiled Dr. Robinson as to his ability

The instrument is Refractor to mount a large equatorist, should with a very interesting history & the opportunity offer.

The

opper- history not altogether unconnected unity come quickly, for Mr. Cooper, with Hongkong. It comes from though not without some misgiving Markree Observatory, Co. Sligo, in as to the result, acted upon the advice the north-west of Ireland.

of his friend, and ordered an equi- torial mounting from Grubb.

From the year 1874 to 1883 the Director of Markree Observatory

In December, 1832, the declination was Dr. W. Daberek, who in the axla beginning of the following years and circles were finished, axt became the first Director of the the polar axis was being cast. The Hongkong Observatory, which had muker certainly did not fall to secure Just been established.

stability, the mounting, in Dr. Robin- son's opinion, having an appearance of strength that seems to

* ITS HISTORY

Бе

-

In 1824 Frauenhofer constructed unsteadiness at defiance. It was erect- achromatic glass of 9 inch dimostered in 1834 on a foundation of lime- walch held the world's record for stone blocks. This same mounting in rize until Cauchoix of Paris made now in Hongkong as good and strong one of 124 inch. This was bought as when it was first put together. by Sir James South and Inter be As soon as it was erected the work queathed by him to Trinity College, of cataloguing the stars was begun, Dublin for the Dunsink Observatory, and during the years 1848-1850 some where It is still the objective of the 60,000 sturs within three degrees of principal telescope.

the Ecliptle, down to those of the In 1831 Cauchoix finished an ob- twelfth inagnitude, were catalogued, Jective of 13.4 inch diam, which was the results being published in four in Dublin at the expense of Arago, volumes, Gumbart and other Parisian as the Government. tronomers of the time.

In 1841 Mr. Cooper purchased an-

equatorial Instrument of 3 Mr. Edward Joshua Cooper, at the other

beautifully

motions of the sun, #oon,

THE, TELESCOPE planets was so well advanced that a year of 60 days was introduced and

The invention

of the telescope divided into months, with an inter-made all the difference in the worki callary month to regulate the sea to the "Selence of the Stars", the sons. It is even claimed that the 10 story of which became ever greater year cycle was discovered about the and grander as the higher, powered same time. In the Annals there is glasses probed deeper into ipare, re- mention of some 900 eclipses, praç-vealing suns and systems of suns tically all of which have been verl-whose existence may have been muk Bed. Frem 611 B.C. to 1640. A.D. peeled but which were not known, 1.370 observations of coniets were The first modern observatory to be made. Sunspots were noted as early founded in the Far East was that of as 300 A.D, Ahout 350 B., a star Manila, which was established in catalogue, giving the position of 120 1865 and raised to the status of ant fixed stars, was published.

official observatory in 1884. Up to the end of the last century it was ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS in the enre of the Spanish Jesuits, In 1100 A.D. we find traces of as-it is now under the joint direction China.of Spanish and American Jesuits. tronomical instruments in During the Yoan Dynasty a group. The chief instrument of the astrono- of instruments was niado in Pekingmical section is a 19 inch. (482 mm) by Kao Shou-shing. With the in-Refractor, the largest in the Orient.

time auguration of the Ming Dynasty in The next in point of time is tho a young man of 33 and a very inch aperture. It was

keen astronomer, happened to be in mounted and with it the planet Mells 1368 these instruments were remov- Hongkong Observatory which was es- ed to Nanking and set up there by tablished in 1883. and equipped with Paris. He purchased the Objectivo, was discovered in 1845. Pai Chi-loo. A new aet" was later a 0% inch (163 mm) : Refractor and brought it back

From 1863, the year of Mr. Cooper's to Ireland, and made for Peking when that city was other instruments,

mounted it provisionally on a wooden death, until 1874, the Observatory restored as the Capital. Towards: In 1000 Pare. El de în' Villomarque, structure at Markeve Castle. Arago was not used. In the latter year Dr. the end of the Ming and the begin S.J., established an astronomical see... had advised the French Government W. Doberck was appointed Director

very highly praised by

PROGRAMME

10-11 am. Morning Service froas St. Joseph'n Church.

11.m.-12.15 p.m. Moning Service from St. Paul's Church (Chinese).

(Continued on Page 5.)

and remained there until he took us the post of Director in Hongkong. Observations were continued by other Directors until 1902, The instru- ments were bought by the Irish Jesults in the suminer of 1935. and arrived in 1ongkong in November.

ITS FUTURE USE

Some figures with regard to 1 size of the large telescope may be of Interest The Objective is 13.4 inches in diameter which makes it the second biggest Refractor and the third biggest telescope in China. The tube

8 is 25 feet long and weighs owl. mounting alone weighs 2 tons.

a finder

aperture. A glance at the photographs will give some idea of its size.

These were taken during the month of May this year when the telescope was mounted for testing. The tube whi later taken down as there was no house around it, and the danger to it through rain and high winds, to say. nothing of typhoons, was too great to leave it in position.

telescope of 5atorial_is_

may

The primary object of the obser- vatory in the Regional Seminary is 1o aid in the complete training of the students for the priesthood. The course for the priesthood in the Catholte Church is a lengthy and a Into thorough one. It is divided what

be called a remote and proximate, preparation. The remate preparation takes place in the minor seminaries which are to be found in every vicariate of China. The prus ximate studies are completed in the Regional Seminaries of which there are twelve in China. The course in these seminaries is divided into two sections. The first three years are devoted to the study of Philosophy and Science, which cover a great number of subjects, Including Logic, Ethics, Paychology, Cosmology, Phy- sica,

Chemistry.

tistry, Biology, Astronomy. The subsequent four years are devot- d to those subjects which are essen- tially the subjects of the priesthood. Everything that can be done to make those studies more perfect is done. and in the study of astronomy the observatory will help materially.

It is to be noted that the Regional Seminaries are for native clergy, and that their function is to train Chinese Priests fully equipped to meet the demands which the world of to-day puts upon them.

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