Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/209

ASTRO-PHOTOGRAPHY. as their precise measurement would involve an amount of labor surpassing; the ])ossil)ilitie3 even of elaborate governmental cooperation, they will be merely reproduced in charts for the use jf astronomers who may need them in their special researches.

We have already called special attention to the pioneering work of Rutherfurd in the pho- tography of stellar clusters, etc. It maj' be of interest also to mention some other American as- tronomers who have distinguished themselves in the new methods of observation. Probably the first really successful celestial photograph was made in 1840 by Draper. He was able to obtain negatives of the moon, showing the prin- cipal formations of her surface. Ten years later, in 1850, Bond and Whipple made still better moon pictures at Harvard College, Cam- bridge, ilass. Coming down to more recent years, we find among American photographic astronomers, Pickering, who iias done much in the photography of stellar spectra and in other departments of astro-physical photography; Hale, who has succeeded in photographing the solar prominences and facuhe in full sunlight; and Campbell, who lias determined photo- graphically the velocities of motion in many of the stellar systems.

More detailed information on the subject of astro-photography may be found in the Bulletin du comitv pennanent dc la carte du ciel (Paris, Institut de France, Vols. I. and II. ), and in Scheimer's Photographie der Gestirne (Leipzig, 1898).

ASTRUC, as'truk', Jeak ( 1684-1766). A dis- tinguished physician. He was born at Sauves, in Languedoe, March 19, 1684. He studied at Montpellier, where he took his degree as doctor in 170.3. In 1710 he was appointed to a professorship at Toulouse, and in 1716 he was called to a chair in medicine at Mont- pellier. In 1729 he became physician to the King of Poland, but the next year accepted a chair at Paris, where he died on May 5, 1766. His most important works are his dissertations on the epidemic diseases, published at the time of the plague (1722 to 1723); his great work on venereal diseases (De Morbis Yenereis), that appeared at Paris in 1736; and his epoch- making Conjectures sur les memoires originaux dont il parait que Moi'se s'esit serri pour com- poser Ir liv-re de la Genese (Brussels. 1753). The last book was' written in the apologetic in- terest of curing what the author called 'the malady of the century' — the doubt as to the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. It fur- nished the clue to the documentary analysis of this work by calling attention to the fact that in the Hebrew text of Genesis the name for God is some'imes Elohim and sometimes Yahweh. and that the Elohistic jiassages differ in fundamental conceptions from the Yahwistic. This showed that Moses had used different sources in com- piling Genesis.

AS'TRUP, (1870-96). A Norwegian explorer; born at Christiania. He came to America in 1891, and in the same year joined the Peary expedition to Greenland. In 1893-94 he was a memljer of the second Peary expedition to Greenland, and made the first survey of the northern and northeastern coast of ilelville Bay. He lost his life during a snow-shoe expedition from Dovre, Norway. His body was found Janu- aiy 21, 1896, at Lille Elvedalen. His published works include lilandt Sordpolens Naboer (1895). ASTURIAS, as-too'ri-as (from Basque asta, rock + H»-a, river; literally 'the country of the dwellers by the rocky river'). A fomier divi- sion of Spain, now included in the Province of Oviedo, bounded on the north by the Bay of Biscay, east by Santander. south by Le6n. and west by Galicia. The low hills of Le(5n and Old Castile rise gradually to the mountain chain which forms the southern boundary, towering to a height of nearly 9000 feet in the sunnnit of Torre de Cerredo! The northern slopes are broken by steep and dark valleys or chasms, which are among the wildest and most pic- turesque in Spain. The climate is damp, as the clouds and fogs of the Atlantic hang continually about the snow-capped mountains. The ])rin- cipal kinds of wood are oak, chestnut, and silver and Scotch firs; in the more remote districts the forests are superb. Pasturage is found along the slopes in the narrow valleys, sup- porting an excellent breed of horses and cattle. In the wider valleys, barley, wheat, maize, figs, olives, grapes, and oranges are cultivated; along the coast are e.Kcellent fisheries. Cop- per, iron, lead, cobalt, arsenic, antimony, and coal are found in the province.

Asturias became a place of refuge for the Goths in the Eighth Century. Here the famous Pelayo was made king in 718. and his suc- cessors, continuing the fight against the Arabs, became kings of Leon in the Tenth Century. The Asturians still boast of their independence as free Hidalgos and are simple in manners and bi'ave; but less industrious and sociable than their neighbors in Biscay and Galicia. They have been termed the Swiss of Spain, and they are equally faithful and fond of money. The Va- queros form a distinct caste in the province, intermarrying among themselves and leading a nomadic life, wintering on the seacoast and summering on the hills of Leytariegos. Oviedo, the capital, has, since 1833. given its name to the whole province. The other important towns are the ports of Gijon and Aviles. The area of the Province of Oviedo is 4091 square miles, with a population in 1897 of 612,663.

The eldest son of the Spanish King bears the title of Prince of Asturias.

ASTY'AGES (Gk. 'AarvdyK, in the Baby- lonian inscriptions called Istuveg). The last king of Media, son and successor of Cyaxares, reigned c.584-550 B.C. According to the story told by Herodotus, Astyages, on account of a dream, gave his daughter Mandane in marriage to Cambyses, a Persian of eminence; but later, being influenced by an alarming dream, he sent Harpagus to destroy the child which was the fruit of the marriage. But the child Cyrus (q.v.) was hidden away by a shepherd, and was after many years brought to the notice of Astyages, who easily discovered the boy's parentage. Astyages punished Harpagus for deceiving liim, and Har- pagus instigated the bold and ambitious Cyrus to lead a revolt of the Persians, tlirough which Astyages was made prisoner, and Cyrus took the sceptre. Astyages was treated mildly, but kept a prisoner until his death. According to the more reliable account given in the Babylonian