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Reminiscences 102 of 123
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The promise held out by the foregoing we fear
has failed, as in very many previous cases, or the world ere this
time would have heard of its success. An achromatic object-glass for
telescopes consists of at least two lenses, the one made of flint-glass,
and the other of crown-glass. The former, possessing least power of
dispersing the colored rays relative to its mean refractive power, must
be of greater value than the latter. It is upon this principle that the
achromatism of the image is produced, the different colored rays being
united into one focus. Flint-glass, to be fit for this delicate purpose,
must be perfectly homogeneous, of uniform density throughout its substance,
and free from wavy veins or cords.
From the foregoing, the reader will see that, as
had been said, the chief difficulty which exists in making telescopic
lenses arises from want of pure glass. Every attempt to correct this evil
has failed; it is well known our best telescopes and like optical instruments
have always achromatic lenses, and for photographic purposes achromatic
lenses are indispensable. If philosophers and astronomers have with so
imperfect lenses attained so much, what may not the astronomer look for
when science gives him lenses made from pure glass? If the heavens, by
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