, 1870-04-24
THE WoNDERs0Ff FfHE HEAVENS,


HE WONDER20ETH TIE HEAVENS.
A Stnr in Elnme@.
From the Lssaicn spte:dtor. oc
Again We bare news fsom tie Southern ~ ":
kiee, and again the scene Of interest hes - -
hat marvellous region Of The heavens ~aiia ~ u,
o1uA the extremity OF the keel Of Argo. Ii -
his glorious region Of he skies stars are Il
preau with protuHion Ntch surpassea Any- ~
hing eecn from. cur hors.lerly ssant-poins. =
rcm sirius fouIh~.rds stwasda Canopps sAe = =.
lensity Of stellar aggregation steadily III u
,rease=. Thence along 1hs keel Of the great q y
.iip r,arr Of all maS....Uaea are apread u u u
.tta:e1 ARD greater p-1fEsiou, 20 that, ah y y
litmtAld: tells Us, tho aky here s:Aeda Ia y
iiarc- resembling 1h,t Of The young moon; !.
without turning to~ar7t -ASo when hes r. 5
c,,lyui.n, keel IL rising abose tie horizon. !.
lut it is wLcrc til MILKY Way nazEo"s down !;
towards tie great nehsl4 IL A1so tha. TUG est-
writea sir JOHN Herrchel, - for language 10
convey full impression Of the beauty And
s1,biinuty II the hpect4cle Which this nebuia
.efe Il; & sntsE i t ~ q tue ,s telesSopa. nnu
me1}le procession Of Etars.
When Sir John Herscl.el wrote thus. tt--a
1ay in the very heart OF that amazing neIll1
ran OF Auta1es. Eta Atsus--for the st2r has
rceeiyed no special t,tle, ard is spoken Of oaly
bv ite Greek lettcr-hAd been described by
HALEY rs a stae Of the fourth magnitude.
Later. the French astronomer 5aesnls saw I,1
~ The second uuA,uitodc. Nllle Sir john
HetrcAel was pursuing; his wonderful scenes O.
| observations on the routlern heavens, ILLS
star ahone as a moderate h1st.uaa511tuue sia!.
aud III Liz noble picture OF the great nepa!a
| (which LES before us ~ w Wfate1 the stM
nlaced il the very densest part Of the netulous
m.tter, and c!ore by :!e Lur.lers OK tue mEste-
riou. yacuity which E,arls tic central region
| oi the nebula. ,s,:
since 1891, however. the star has exhibited
new and even more surprising changes. It
increased in splcu.lorin in astran6els auctasting
usanner. occasionally losing hslliahce 10.
awhile, 10 renew its glo.ies presently, rnth ~
length, iii lsia, it surpassed Campus IN br1en,"
tetr and rsalled even the hl1z'ng SINUS. n.
star falling gradually avny from magnitude 70
maruitule unit! it alnlost I'asrcd the !i;,lts ot
r nahct,-evc vision, aud tauc TO BE- dcscE11eu -
. | low ri1-magniralc stst. Meantime. the neo-
uia around il waAcd ~ srlenuos. Mtien ttei
a sclel had been ut the south cape shs neooia
!. cou]I Eareiv he recn WITH the naked eye on
d the duyse~t and tlearvst nights; but tatelS II
hid reached 90 high degree Of hrliiancy thai
), it was visible er.A Wien the moon WIS shining
- brightly enough to oblitc1ato all but tae lcao
:, Then. as We lately recorded. news came iron
of the Melbourne Observatory, where 6!utp
srlendid reflector Is At work in the atle hand
-. of L. Sueur. that the nc5nla had changed l
|
9, tiruIar it was remarked that al round tho st.
~ Eta there war either no nel,nla or but Att!s
whereas during Herechels observations, ae v
ia. llav. mentioned, the nebula @as brighter roun
l., this etar than elsewhere
LIZ And tt.,a it happened that whereas sir : on
Hersehei had conceived the nebula to l!e 4
[u- | ont in rrace beyond the stars With when
bio seemed 10 he associated, Le Sueur argue
.te from the remarkable changes to which u
netnlA has been subjected, thst i eannot oe
3nA 1ar
eef imrlv. and in all probability lies nearer TO
on, tban tic fixed rtars in the same directlc
sa- Tcfore this, the present writer had urged It
ira. tile ncl,u!a IL really and not merely In apPe
nv ancc. associated IN the most insamafe HAn
W. with thnte fixed hfars. ... ...-.,.
one And now We have intelligence rcspech
est | tt,e star which t}r,,ws new AMI unexie.
was | light on the whole subject: ,-,
the will he 5es1sa that ,hn IN canE,ellst MnE l1,t
.ker Cor, Ia Iclote II the uplif,cd right arm
dals lootee) Studied Will. tho -pectroscopc ~
,em- eminent rhyeicist, Huegins, this new o3.
var found 10 be III strange eo
rat siou. 1ts rin'o"-'inted sIectf
amp tark liue- showed tia, it VAS, at lcast for
that time, sun like our own. All incandes.
1oro | body +li,ling through absorbent varor.
s,;nr besides the dark liner. there were &c,
bright lines. and these lines interpreted
eortsing to the Usual PRINCIPLES Of spet
~ i'll rcopic ANALYSIS taught us that the star was
DYER rounded by glowing hydrogen. The new
uou- waa. in fact. eun in flames. Gradually I
t,x, ttamcr died nut and HOW tllat orb has t
irsiy returned to the condition. was III u
.a,o,, the nu1hurrt, and can still be ncer. ts
eloss s.sescnnst. ei.ninE With tho faint ralian
had a sei.I.maguitule star amid the dept
OH IN sIacc:
It the And now it --oncars that this wonderful
nnen, able in Argo is am star in flames. 1ts
trum exhibits the ta.>4. chcracteris.ics 81
nrloy- Of the star in co-ona. e-.ept that the
Q Mid lines which cEoss il arc so1n"what lea'
o dis ,inctly marked. There, however, are
ell has bright ines WMen s1oiea1e tns elH's g
w. PORTION Of thore lines serves to show
across clea1eet possible manner that the stst. l.
els by orb in Curota, i1coyere1 withlyd ydEoscn Il
ii the Lines, az yet not measured, seem 10
o, tn epouj with wcli-known bright line
-, t,ccirum Of the solar rtomincnces. anu
line Of nitrogen.
l;u. the rpectrcseore has aiso give
upou striking evidence re-leetinS tue asso
I'D her between the netula' and the star. AL
ration, TIE ttar " - Suent souSnt luz tas -,
til the tSs .I,.t 49,, ~. ~ r,,,, NJ f-ou, nnr mari
r. srace which immediately surrounds tho
! Sea to fact which shows 'noet concluslTe!E Il
a,rencc OF nctulou4 light here il not aI
for the tor due. ar might hise sHen *usI1ee.e',.
by tho ~. ~. 'na' - ~ M ,oh,,,,, e., MI Thu
ale anu which sir ]. Ilerskhel. when tho It
l
rpeau1 treated from that slsung snn.
and was N. Le suent mas peen sd Y y ;axa1 .nsr
'mebody sLse nW " * greaen. rrit,r thst star d
female ria sfe asrocssted. He asks: .'Is
erior Of .reeence of nitrogen and hydrogen III
eferring Eta significant fact IN CONNECTION
o,l ras- change. OF the nehuh, changes which
sculptor ~ r. us a;aht.,rIood n.S1,c STAR" ii.
.ated by ,I.n IN the fact that ,tc star il incre
refused. brightness. and asks whether the hri
n in any character of the specttaHi may Ilos ~
commencement Of increase in the star
But euproeing the t1ieht-lined spec
e isao1eal Indicate destruction ot the nebula a
,ris, WAS the SIR. how can the str ever he reg
Is suffer- as astronomers arc Frrt:y confident
:, and he le,-to its former epserdnr: sef{ nt1
prison to eau ea,s tha1 AS H.. in,n ~,
..-.. even Eop. Wien it seems to have const
'uFnomo- uct,}a in ts neigh ortto'l. it chimes 3
X. huw is it to ..rrw brighter and hng
-yernae,,- I'll ii sur1 Asset the s;lrn'or it bad
:, nf the ...hn ue1schel sAw II iayolved IN
from big ~ ~ ,,o,r,ona ms..cT arnund
mpla iof i .lerc-rary condition Of the staF
That il. ,rr-: : tls, the stnr will recover its
donation when The netuls,,s matter comes bst
oroo. Who and that the rvrioslioit, Of this rtn
-. H.. ali. OF other vari.bles.is i due to the
~ ''A character Of the motion. Which take
lohcs, Aha the nebula:
.0ul WlEbH Hut cur eun u himself HeflofilC
" the true 1Iss lie, then. uet'ulouA fosi brone
in greater Or less quantities at regu.a
.,...a,+s intervals: The nsmes which SURF
1paeeao'o exhibit tue very eAme bright Ines Ii
$50 urged aronoi the star in Areo. They on
.cussion OF lear greater proportion To the e1a'
atc] 10 the to rhoS their bright lil'es upon the
: saved IA trum precisely ns the bright lines apI
spectrum Of Eta Argus, only inc
!. VINO rep more resrlendent But where Is
tho PoPe's nebnIa which is required TO make tt
persuaded complete; Surely We zee it it, the
.rsin.t the | El.,rs which ehine~ around tha sun d
r. consent eclipse. Those strangely figured r1dj
~ | recrhar contortel structure OF port
, AeeiA corona 1cotnpared t,y Ar1Eo to hank
completed In disorder. ard the variable hril
TO consider extent OF the object during diheren
Is usual ss- teem TeI! piAniy to 1olnt 70 me
- rrNss surrounding Like Eta Argus. too
1he ultsas star in flames, and it only need
8 that the uebuloua matter round the sun sho
0 OF every BILE The Argo uehula in relative ext
that such der that Tie so'ar flames should
s;,,..,3 hv Icse round Eta Argus, with a spl
.ti mastering that of the orb they belo
Gil. which runpcu uprrc
in its 1utn.
E. supposed Thc oririn of hip t.,1,s is food Ia,
tnat several | lecture: uor can 1nyoue deterraii