Autobiography of Sir George Biddell AiryAiry, George Biddell
Science
Autobiography of Sir George Biddell Airy
Airy, George Biddell
Airy, George Biddell, 1801-1892; Astronomers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Autobiographies; Royal Greenwich Observatory
positions of the telescope the definition is not good: and we must
look to-day to see what is the cause of this fault. It is not a fault
in the telescope, properly so-called, but it is either a tilt of the
mirror, or an edge-pressure upon the mirror when the telescope points
lower down which distorts its figure, or something of that kind. So I
could not see Saturn at all well, for which I was sorry, as I could so
well have compared his appearance with what I have seen before. I
shall be very much pleased if we can make out what is the fault of
adjustment, and so correct it as to get good images everywhere. It is
evident that the figuring of the mirror, the polishing, and the
general arrangement, are perfectly managed.
THE CASTLE, PARSONSTOWN,
_1848, Aug. 30_.
Yesterday we were employed entirely about the Great Telescope,
beginning rather late. The principal objects had relation to the fault
of definition when the telescope is pointed low (which I had remarked
on the preceding night), and were, to make ourselves acquainted with
the mechanism of the mirror's mounting generally, and to measure in
various ways whether the mirror actually does shift its place when the
telescope is set to different angles of elevation. For the latter we
found that the mirror actually does tilt 1/4 of an inch when the tube
points low. This of itself will not account for the fault but it
indicates that the lower part is held fast in a way that may cause a
strain which would produce the fault. These operations and reasonings
took a good deal of time. Lord Rosse is disposed to make an alteration
in the mounting for the purpose of correcting this possible strain.
THE CASTLE, PARSONSTOWN,
_1848, Aug. 31_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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