Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-09-17
THE NEW STIR.
Its First Flicker shakes the NebuIar
Hypothesis.

| London cableRram TO New York Herald.
Astronomers have for the first time IN the
worlu's history assisted at the birth OF new
member OF our stellar system. DIR. Harting,
| oil the Dorpat University Observatory In
Russia, is tho godfather OF this ly no means
little stranger, which may be thirty million
times larger than our sun, and which by its
mere birth threatens to upset many of our
most cherished astronomi al theories.
The nebula OF Andromeda Is the mother
OF the new star. Between and 10 o'clock
| on any clear evening the newly born may
be found in the eastern sky, well up from
| the horizon, MS a glowing point OF the
eighth magnitude, surrounded by the cloud
| llRe mist of the nebula from which il
| sprang. A good pair of opera glasses will
clearly show both the nebula and star.
Our midwife astronomers are now hard
at work measuring, weighing and gosslping
about the unsuspecting youngster, which
hns given them no cause for Complaint Ms
regards either growth or ability to make n
noise in the world. On August 10th the
nebula was carefully scanned but not the
slightest signs of change were observed.
me nebula, according to u photograph
then taken, remained in its ordinary condi-
ton OF gigantic agglomeration OF family
glowing star mist, in which the most
powerful telescopes could distinguish
nothing except family defined nucleus Of
nebula.
On August 10th the new star was seen as
a brilliant point near the nucleus, but the
great Importance of the discovery was not
appreciated until this week. Since its
sudden birth the star has given constant
cause for astronomical gossip on account of
US irregular habits. Not only has it changed
its position in the sky by ten seconds In ono
direction and two seconds In the other. but
1t also shines with an unsteady, fiickering,
orange-like light new to members of the
staid star family.
These manifestations may be simplv a
species Of stellar wild oats, from which the
new, star will emerge to be credit to its
mother, or they may portend career as
startling as its origin. Godfather Harting
declines to predict his musings fate, and
MIR. Richard A. Proctor, who has the re-
porter's seat at all celestial events is equally
non-committll. Certain 1t Is, at any rate.
that by Its birth, Its life and perhaps its
death, this dissolute star will teach astron-
omers many valuable lesson concerning
the universe. 1t may be that II will lenye
behind 1t, If 1t dies, wreck of theories
which will bring gray headed astronomers
In sorrow to new beliefs
1t is an odd fact that the variable stars
which occasionally and unexpectedly an
pear in the heavens generally appear In the
midst OF gaseous nebule. This seems to
emphasize still further the difference be-
tween the new unknown and other new
stars; for Andromeda is shown by the
spectroscope to be stellar, not gaseous
nebua; Moreover, all astronomers so far
agree that the new star Is not worn out
sun unexpectedly blazing into new life, but
is, on the contrary, u now agglomeration Of
torce ana matter suddenly created or
brought together by laws not yet even to be
guessed ut by our science.
With It's first flicker the new star shook
'nplice's nebulur hypothesis until seams
and flaws stand out al over this theoretical
explanations of lhe creation; for single
'ca'astrophic" sun blazing ont with full
demands ages of slow accretion before such
sun could even be thought of. This star
may prove also that our universe is, after
all, but one system OF stars, and that the
theory of stellar systems, according to
which ours is bnt one of many systems, is
untrue.