The New York herald., 1877-01-16
STELLAR CONFEDERATION.

PROFESSOR PARKHUEsr's VIEWS
NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 1877.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
When tho tidngs first reached this country that .
new had suddenly appeared in tho constellation
Cygnus rivalling in brightness the principal stars OF
that constellation, II had already SO far faded away
that It could not bc distinguished from tho neghbor
ing OF the Milky Way without careful comparison
with Argelander's charts on clear evening | had
no opportunity to mako such comparison until
the 18th inst, when l found the star o tho 7.3
magnitude. utterly invisible without telescope
aid and requiring good telescope for It's idcntidca-
ton Upon observing II through spcctroscopo saw
faint continuous spectrum, with three or four bright
lines from the red TO the blue; but the fantness OF
the star made II impossible 10 determine their posi-
tons more accurately These were, undoubtedly, tho
bSghter oil the lines by NJ Cornu whom tho star
was about sixteen times bright, and from which he
cIme 10 the conclusion -" Tho light OF the star ap-
pears possess exactly tho same composition as that
OF the solar envelope known the chromosphere. "
IL this respect thero marked difference between
this which bazed o1t still moro brightly
May IL. 1885, in tho constellation Corona Borealis,
the only other new resembling this which has
beeu seen since the Of tho spectroscope In two
other respects there is marked dincrencc--that the
star in Corona had been long known as faint teo-
scopic star, and that in ten days from the
time of its first appearance (when it WAS
two or threo times us bright as this star,
II had become faint as this star,
after lapse of fifty days. Is. Whether earlier
temporary have concded with known stars, and
whether they iaded away entirely still remain vis
bic telescope stars. which cannot now be identified,
do know. But the fact that after tho outDurst
of ight from blazing hydrogen IN I. Caron@ the star
merely returned TO its ormer brightness, and has over
since renamed OF that brightness well as the phc-
OF periodically variable stars, seem to indicate
that It IS not the burning up and oxtngushment OF
star which now witncsa Although tLis star was
before cataIogued /, may have been easily visible
in large telescope aud, In tho case OF T. Carone
IL may return To It's former brightness aud continue
visible in the teescope indefinitely Although dccreas.
ing much more slowly Will be below Inc iancst
stars Of Argcanders charts in March. anu by July be-
low ordinary teescopic vison unless that decrease
should be checked
or the cause Of such sudden ou'burst OF luminos
ity-ior 1t sudden when IT took place, although II
was probably many many years ago, the light having
been on the way perhaps for hundreds OF thousands
probable There is no want OF combustble elements In
the sun s atmosphere There want Of heat 10 set
them on fire Indeed they are already too hot burn
beng heated above the point OF dssociatiop There
is, therefore, probability oil any internal convusion
which would produce such an effect. The danger is
from without II immense comet were TO enter
solar system, aiming point blank toward the sun,
the heat IRON the impact might involve us In caias
trophe similar that which must have bclalen the
inhabitants OF the planets revolving around tn SO
new stars, If any there were. II true
comet
years, a scarcity almost unprecedented, that we
may we'll expect before long one OF unusual magn.
tude; but II may be doubted whether all the comets
observed during the present century falling in one
into the sun would be sufficient to largely IN
The suns brightness or heat Looking at II from
another point of view danger Is seen 10 be map
precabc, for even assuming that star Is destroyed
every years would be 900 000 years before our
turn would arrive. Indeed, IL may be, for aught
know. that our iurn has already cone and passed.
How do we know that l. OO0. 600 years ago
tho centre oi attraction to the inhabitants OF
v,lona atc In In efa llnr rnUtNn
HENRY M PARKHURsT
A HOLLOW SHELL EXPLODING IN TIE DISTANT
HEAvENs-wHAT MAY HAPPEN THIS EARTH
AN ANALOGOUS PHENOMENON THREE HUN
DRED YEARS AGo-wHAr PROFESSOR BOSS
SAYS.
ALBANY, Jan. IL, 1877.
s.Let me sce." said Professor Boss, OF the Dudley
Observatory, he stood IN the deepening twilight
within stones throw Of tho building wherein he car
ries on his observations OF tho heavens. .et
WHAT'S the position Of that star discovered by Proes
sor Schmidt, OF which you speak. have been SO
busy with book am preparing for publication that
have had time to read any but the local papers" "
s.IIere It is" said his visitor handing him copy Of
the HERALD containing, among others, an interview
with Professor Newcomb OF Washington, on the ma
ture of the stellar bodies Professor Boss took the
paper and read Near Rho CygnI, right ascension
II hours 81 minutes; declinaOn plus AZ degrees II
minutes" 'That leaves It now" promptly continued
the Professor "snking behind those western hills'
(pointing spur OF tho Catsklls 'and too lato 10
take observation. had not heard, he proceeded,
about this discovery, but It is not by any means un-
usual. Some astronomers hold that they variable
stars now dim for a time and again bright and prom
uenl, but the cause OF their variability is unknown.
Various theories have been advanced some plausible
others fetched yet all purely and necessarily spec
ulative."
This latest discovery though, understand II, is
that oil q burning star all gone 10 blazes and consum
ing itself fast. Can such lhings be- Proiessor"
"why. yes On the nebulous hypothesis our globe
was once in tho condition in which, perhaps. that star
discovered by Schmidt is to-day. Tho floating and
flaming gases arc supposed sodify and the present
appearance oil con1agratioE disappear On tho fluid
hypothesis this earth OF is SIMPLY thin crust
with a vast ocean OF fro within. Now suppose that
star in Cygni similarly formed and the scethIng
fires within exploded the covering without might not
the appearance of burning star be observed But
the whole crust blown OH the connapration could
only be for very little while and that star would dis
appear forever
''Are there any instances known Of a star that
astronomers were onco acquainted with having disap
pcared forevcry'
There are; but there is one better known and bot
ter authenticated than all the rcst-one that now
recollcct IL. forcibly reminds me of the subject OF
burning stars II was discovered by Tycho Brahe IN
November 1872 in the constellation OF Cassiopca IN
Longitude 81 latitude 54 IL biazcd out brighter than
Jupiter and bright Sirius. IL shone with great
brllancy for two months then II gradually grew dim
and DINNER, though II continued visible Tor
eighteen months, and then completely vanished, IL
excited great attention at the time, ana all Of
wild conjectures offered In regnrd 10 IT, That
800 years ago, when astronomy, as now is, was
only entering upon ITS career Thcy had no means as
We have for determining the positions OF star Tho
telescope not In use, and they used the rudcst
contrivances ior Astronomical observations II was
that that first inspired Tycho Brahc 10 pay such
special attention to the art OF observation. and all he
did aucrward done with great care But there Is
star to-day where tnat star appeared. Algo IN
Pcrscus Mira in Cctus peculiar stars, being
dim and bright by turns
show would you account for that extraordinary
appearance and disappearance OF Tycho Brahes
starr"
.Wcli Tycho himself supposed It WIS condensation