Publisher's Synopsis
Being convinced that whoever will survey the heavens with a good opera-glass will feel repaid many fold for his time and labor, I have undertaken to point out some of the objects most worthy of attention, and some of the means of making acquaintance with the stars.First, a word about the instrument to be used. Galileo made his famous discoveries with what was, in principle of construction, Simply an opera-glass. This form of telescope was afterward abandoned because very high magnifying pow ers could not be employed with it, and the field of view was restricted. But, on account of its brilliant illumination of objects looked at, and its convenience of form, the opera-glass is still a valuable and, in some respects, unrivaled instrument of observation.
