The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1885-09-26
TIE NEW STAR IN ANDR0MEDA.
What is Said by the Astronomers
and the Astrolo&rr>-lloN I"
Find the NeW-Comcr
INcw Orleans Picayunc.1

Scientific persons, and particularly
the astronomers, are greatly interested
in q new star which has suddenly
appeared in portion of the heavens
where no star had ever before been OBJ
served While it is a very important
occurrence as a physical fact, being
nothing less than the birth of Il new
sun or world, there are in this star pos
sibilities which connect it With senti
mental and sacred subjects and tradi-
tions, and invest it with an interest
before which the cold 1natcralism OF
the merely mathematical astronomer
becomes absolutely insignificant. To
present these briefly is the object Of
this paper.
The new star was discovered by DR..
uartiny, the astronomer of the Obscr-
vatory of the University at Dorpat,
Russia. 1t was first seen by him on
the night Of the 10Th of August, in the
constellation of Andromeaa in nebu-
lous spot, which has long been studied
By astronomers, but has never before
revealed the existence of star. This
ncbuIa, which is one of great number
of such family luminous spots or patch
es in the sky, is distinguished for being
the only one which is visible to the
marked eye, and may be seen ny per
sons of keen vision on clear night,
but it is so faint that it must be spec
tally looked for. 1t is the only one Of
the nebul;r which was known before
the invention of the telescope.
The constellation of Andromcda
consists Of &C visible stars, bat all are
small save three of the second magni-
tude of which Almaack is in tho left
foot, Merach in the left side of the gir-
die, and Alpheratz in the left side Of
the head. There are three stars in the
girt'le, the other two being of the ith
magnitude and named N1u and Nh,
respectively. 1t is near Nu in the side
Of the princess, for Andromcda was IA
princess of Ethiopia, that the celebrated
nebula exists in which Prof. lIarting'S
new sun has made its appearance. 1t
is now no great affair, but since lis
birth a month ago it has continued to
grow until it has reached the eight or
seventh magnitude. Whether it will
continue to grow until it shall shine
out as a brilliant of the first class re-
mains to be seen, but At all events it is
the cynosure OF every tcIrsc"p" and
astronomical eye.
The new conner is apparently not q
comet, for it, remains stationery, not
changing its position as do the fiery
strangers which now and then come
rushing through the sky, and because
of its quiet demrnDr and want Of mo
ton it has attacted the attention OF AS
trOnOmcrs all the mere.
The appearance Of this star calls tt
| mind ana nf ttfs ntnSf brilliant and in
teresting events in the history Of as
tronomy. 1t is no less than the ap
pcarancc of what was believed hy
many to be the Star of Bethlehem
last seen in 1872 and now expected II
almost any day to appear again.
There has, perhaps never in modcr.
time been a celestial event that attract
ed the attention and aroused the curl
, Osity and interest of the public as die
the star first seen on the 10th of Novcm
her, 1872, by the celebrated Danish as
, tronomer, Tycho Brahc at Copenhagen
This star on its first appearance was 81
r bright that it was at once recognized II
an extraordinary object and soon be
came the theme OF universal attention
AS this was some forty years prior t.
the invention of the telescope, there
were no better means OF observing i
, than with the organs Of vision, but TIN
new star was too conspicuous to b
overlooked. Tycho Brahe wrote vol
V uminously about it and ii was men
- toned at length by numerous writer
of that day. The Danish astrOnomc
!, used the following language to describ
Il his discovery
II Raising my eyes as usual during on
n of my walks to the we'll known vaul
II of Heaven, l observed with indescribf
d bic astonishment, near the zenith, i
the constellation of CaSsiopeia Il radiaf
fixed star OF a magnitude never bcfoi
seen. In my amazcmcnt / double
the evidence Of my senses. Iowcve
{, TO convince myself that it was no ilIl
sion, and to have the testimony
d others, SUNNI oncd my assistants fro,
the laboratory and inquired of them ;
we'll as of tho country people"
This new sun was visible to all. TT
astronomer declared that it outshor
G Jupiter, the greatest Of the planet
and Sirius, the chief of the fixed star
and Venus alone, when she is neare
IT. to the sun and is visible at midda
was comparable to it in Spicndo
Tycho's star was visible for siN'et
- months before il disappeared, but la
terly it began TO pale, changing
color from white to yellow and red II