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Jupiter and Io Part 1

Stories

jupiter1_low“One of these days I could enroll to become an astronomer,” mused Turbo.

The plump little brown and black Yorkshire terrier stretched out on the dinning room table, and moodily chewed at a page of Marina’s homework on the planets.

 

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She had embarked on the set essay over an hour ago, and seemed exceedingly harassed. Turbo opened an eye and cocked an ear. Marina queried her father about the planet Jupiter, obtained her answer, distractedly knocked over the ink, and shouted at God.

jupiter3_lowTurbo mused on the scene and pushed himself up first on his front paws and then his back ones. “No meal for me”, he thought, moodily “not until Marina’s finished, at any rate”. The ink spill was spreading and, to save his fur and well – combed paws Turbo, leapt off the table onto a chair and made for the murky light of the bedroom closet. At least there he could be sure of some peace amongst the clothes and shoes.

The next thing he knew, he was staring at himself floating effortlessly past the stately planet Jupiter.

 

Turbo through time and space Part 5

Stories
turbospace5ph1“No one could have foreseen the stupendous difficulties to be overcome nor the devastating world war which caused an additional four years delay.
Construction of the 200 inch telescope was interrupted . They actually started making bomb sites (heavy duty optics for the war effort ) amongst other things” but we will talk about this another time said Quabita.
And then she continued with the history facts.

“In December of 1947 the first stars were seen reflected in the mirror”.

“First look”.  A small reading glass was used for and eye piece to peer into the big mirror.

 

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Turbo tried this himself! Once asked what he saw, his noncommittal answer was, “Oh some stars”.

On May 10th, 1948, the board of Caltech named the 200 inch telescope “The Hale Telescope”.

“This mirror is like a window of the Universe” said Turbo.

“The window is a mirror for the world’s largest telescope, which allows astronomers to see through time and space” added Quabita.

Turbo breathed a sigh of satisfaction – he’d seen the 200 inch telescope! He had looked at the stars through this telescope. He’d helped suggest it to Hale!

He gazed into the telescope and as he did so, Quabita slowly vanished.
But as he gazed, Turbo could see his mistress calling his name and hunting for him in the bushes of the Caltech campus.

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“Time to go back” he heard Quabita say as she disappeared, and somewhat exhausted by his adventures, Turbo wagged his tail. The next thing he knew, his owner was bending over him to put on his leash, and he was giving her a lick on the nose.

“Where were you, Turbo?” she asked, but Turbo couldn’t explain. On the way home he mused over every detail of his adventure and his conversation with George Ellery Hale, reliving the exciting moments and wagging his tail furiously.

 

Note: 200 inch telescopes also at Owens Valley radio observatory in Big Pine 250 miles from Caltech and on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

 

Turbo through time and space Part 4

Stories
Quabitas-Portrait_lowQuabita goes on giving Turbo history facts about the 200 inch telescope.

 

 “In June 1928, the International Education Board voted to give money to Caltech for the purpose of building this instrument and all other facilities necessary for its construction and operation.turbobadge_low

 

And so it began what was to become one of man’s greatest scientific enterprises.

 

But it was long before 1928 that the idea of the telescope was born in the minds of George E. Hale and his associates. No one would have predicted in June of 1928 that the completion of this great instrument would not be accomplished for 20 years.

 

In 1935, work began at Palomar Mountain, the location was considered almost 50 years ago.

cars_lowNovember 18, 1947, saw the next high point in the mirror’s career. The huge disk in its cell had been lifted off the grinding machine and lowered onto a trailer. At 3:30 in the morning State Highway Patrol officers gave the signal, and the tractor and trailer, convoyed by a spare tractor unit, another truck for spare parts, and innumerable reporters and cameramen, started the 160-mile trip to the Palomar Observatory. Road blocks were set up on some sections of the route, bridges received additional shoring, and the trailer had on one occasion 16 extra wheels mounted in order to distribute its 35-ton weight more evenly over suspect bridge.

 

The glass, into which eleven years of work had gone, became backing for the mirror”.