The Next Task of Astronomy¹

Abstract

A VERY large amount of work is in progress at present upon astronomical photometry. The older branches of astronomy, astrodynamics and measures of position, are far from being exhausted, and it is a matter for great regret that the former, especially, with its splendid traditions of great workers, of discovery and invention, should have fallen into relative neglect. The middle branch, astrophysics, has so far been based, almost exclusively, upon measures of position, namely, precise determination of spectral lines. Beyond that it has been little more than a descriptive branch—an avenue to science rather than a part of it. But lately from every direction it is being forced to address itself in earnest to the problems of photometry—that is, to face directly and with as much science as it can command, the question of measuring quantity of light-emission.