A Steady Atmosphere..
Lowell, Percival
A steady atmosphere is essential to the study of planetary detail; size of instrument being a very secondary matter. A large instrument in poor air will not begin to show what a smaller one in good air will. When this is recognized, as it eventually will be, it will become the fashion to put up observatories where they can see rather than be seen.
Mars
Preface (p. v)
A steady atmosphere is essential to the study of planetary detail; size of instrument being a very secondary matter. A large instrument in poor air will not begin to show what a smaller one in good air will. When this is recognized, as it eventually will be, it will become the fashion to put up observatories where they can see rather than be seen.
Mars
Preface (p. v)
Comments
"The construction of a telescope of these dimensions was necessarily an experiment, for it was by no means certain, after the optical and mechanical difficulties had been overcome, that even the favorable atmosphere of California would be sufficiently tranquil to permit sharply defined celestial images to be obtained with so large an aperture. It is therefore important to learn what the telescope will actually accomplish under customary observing conditions."
.. also under customary funding conditions.