23
the need for an expedition to Tenerife to test, at long last, the long-standing
belief of astronomers that the stars could better be seen by locating telescopes
as high as possible. As Piazzi Smyth surmised before the Council of the Royal
Astronomical Society, ‘By how much may astronomical observation be
improved by the elimination of the lower third part of the atmosphere?’
Piazzi Smyth based the justification for funding his proposed expedition on
a reference from Newton, who, in his Opticks (1730), had written:
Telescopes...cannot be so formed as to take away that confusion of the Rays
which arises from the Tremors of the Atmosphere. The only Remedy is a most
serene and quiet Air, such as may perhaps be found on the tops of the highest
Mountains above the grosser Clouds.
The first budget presented by the Admiralty (at the time astronomy was a
strategic science for navigation and was controlled by the Admiralty) amounted
to 300 pounds, a sum that was immediately raised to 500 pounds, but that
still fell short. Piazzi Smyth, however, was determined not to exceed his initial
estimate and resolved the difficulty by seeking the shortfall from private
sources. With the help of these patrons, he was finally able to honeymoon (he
had just married Jessica Duncan) on the Tenerife voyage. The newlyweds
spent thirteen nights together on the island in 1856, most of them spent
observing above the clouds. When they were not above the clouds, they
resided in what is today the Hotel Marquesa, which continues to receive tourists in the centre of Puerto de la Cruz.
The aim of the expedition was to prove that astronomical observations
improved notably with increasing altitude. Piazzi Smyth and his wife performed observations from sea level to just below the very peak of the Teide.
They set up base first on the ridge that marks the summit of Guajara, the
second-highest mountain on the island, at 2717 metres above sea level. From
the south it overlooks the magnificent Las Cañadas caldera, the enigmatic
Ucanca Valley at its feet, so reminiscent of a Martian landscape (now frequented by UFO devotees in their ceremonies). They then crossed the caldera
with their instruments to Alta Vista, at an altitude of 3250 metres, close to the
summit of Mount Teide.
They observed the Moon, the planets, double stars, and the zodiacal light,
all with the specific purpose of determining whether image sharpness improved
above the lower troposphere. Above 2000 metres, it was evident that the diffraction rings of the stars were indeed clear and well-defined, and that close
double stars could be separated to a degree impossible from Edinburgh. They
also measured ultraviolet radiation from the sun and infrared radiation from
3 Tenerife and Mount Teide on the Moon (1724–1914)
the need for an expedition to Tenerife to test, at long last, the long-standing
belief of astronomers that the stars could better be seen by locating telescopes
as high as possible. As Piazzi Smyth surmised before the Council of the Royal
Astronomical Society, ‘By how much may astronomical observation be
improved by the elimination of the lower third part of the atmosphere?’
Piazzi Smyth based the justification for funding his proposed expedition on
a reference from Newton, who, in his Opticks (1730), had written:
Telescopes...cannot be so formed as to take away that confusion of the Rays
which arises from the Tremors of the Atmosphere. The only Remedy is a most
serene and quiet Air, such as may perhaps be found on the tops of the highest
Mountains above the grosser Clouds.
The first budget presented by the Admiralty (at the time astronomy was a
strategic science for navigation and was controlled by the Admiralty) amounted
to 300 pounds, a sum that was immediately raised to 500 pounds, but that
still fell short. Piazzi Smyth, however, was determined not to exceed his initial
estimate and resolved the difficulty by seeking the shortfall from private
sources. With the help of these patrons, he was finally able to honeymoon (he
had just married Jessica Duncan) on the Tenerife voyage. The newlyweds
spent thirteen nights together on the island in 1856, most of them spent
observing above the clouds. When they were not above the clouds, they
resided in what is today the Hotel Marquesa, which continues to receive tourists in the centre of Puerto de la Cruz.
The aim of the expedition was to prove that astronomical observations
improved notably with increasing altitude. Piazzi Smyth and his wife performed observations from sea level to just below the very peak of the Teide.
They set up base first on the ridge that marks the summit of Guajara, the
second-highest mountain on the island, at 2717 metres above sea level. From
the south it overlooks the magnificent Las Cañadas caldera, the enigmatic
Ucanca Valley at its feet, so reminiscent of a Martian landscape (now frequented by UFO devotees in their ceremonies). They then crossed the caldera
with their instruments to Alta Vista, at an altitude of 3250 metres, close to the
summit of Mount Teide.
They observed the Moon, the planets, double stars, and the zodiacal light,
all with the specific purpose of determining whether image sharpness improved
above the lower troposphere. Above 2000 metres, it was evident that the diffraction rings of the stars were indeed clear and well-defined, and that close
double stars could be separated to a degree impossible from Edinburgh. They
also measured ultraviolet radiation from the sun and infrared radiation from
3 Tenerife and Mount Teide on the Moon (1724–1914)