Sachgebiete

Beschreibung:

In three parts 1852-1870. Printed, for private circulation only, by order of the Council of the Royal Society. Mit 6 (3 gefalt., 2 lithogr.) Tafeln u. einigen Illustrationen im Text. London, Printed by Taylor and Francis, 1871. 8vo. (21,0 x 13,1 cm). V S., 1 Bl., 45, 3 S.; 40 S.; Titel, 59 S. Orig.-Halbleinwandband.

Bemerkung:

Das "Great Melbourne Telescope" ist 1869 errichtet worden u. war seinerzeit das zweitgrößte Teleskop der Welt u. das größte der südlichen Hemisphäre. - "Grubb's greatest achievement was his construction, at Charlemonts Bridge Works, of a forty-eight-inch equatorial cassegrainin reflector for Melbourne, Australia. This telescope, complete in 1867, was hailed as a triumph of engineering and optical skill. Intended for photography, it had several novel features, among them counterpoises to reduce the pressure of the polar axis on the bearings. But once on side, the instrument required almost constant adjustment and the mirrors of the speculum metal (through no fault of Grubb's) soon became tarnished. These defects and others temporarily destroyed confidence in this type of telescope and unfortunately delayed its development for some thirty years." (DSB 5, p. 562). - Unter den Korrespondenten finden sich neben Grubb (1800-1878) auch James Nasmyth, Sir John Herschel u. Sir Edward Sabine. * Einband beschabt u. mit kleinen Fehlstellen im Bezug. Innendeckel mit Schild "Presented to The Observatory of Breslau by the Royal Society". Einige kleine Wasserränder. Titel leicht gebräunt, mit schwacher Signatur u. Stempelrasur.