Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-09-16
THE NEW STAR.

The London correspondent of the New
York Herald sends the following to that
paper:
Astronomers have for the first time in
the worlds history assisted at the birth of q
new member of our stellar system. DR..
Harting, of the Dorpat University Observ-
atory in Russia, is the godfather of this by
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 astro-
nomical theories.
"The nebula of Andromeda is the mother
of the new star. Between nine and ten
o'clock on any clear evening the newly
born may be found in the eastern sky, wei
up from the horizon, as glowing point of
the eighth magnitude, surrounded by the
cloudlike mist of the nebula from which it
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 gossiping
about the unexpected youngster, which has
given them no cause for complaint as re-
CARDS either growth or ability to make
noise in the world. On August 10 the nebula
was carefully scanned, but not the slightest
signs of change were observed. The nebula,
according to photograph then taken, re-
NAMED in its ordinary condition of q gigan-
tic agglomeration of family glowing star
mist, in which the most powerful telescopes
could distinguish nothing except family
defined nucleus of nebula.
"On August 19 the new star was seen as
brilliant point near the nucleus, but the
great Importance of the discovery was not
appreciated until this week. Since its sud-
den birth the star has given constant cause
for astronomical gossip or account of its ir-
regular habits. Not only has it changed its
position in the sky by ten seconds in one dl-
rection and two seconds in the other, but it
also shines with an unsteady, f1ickering
orange-like light new to members of the
staid star family.
"These manifestations may be simply q
species of stellar wild oats, from which the
new star will emerge 10 be credit to its
mother or they may portend a career as
startling us its origin Godfather Harting
declines to predict his nursling's future, and
Mr.. Richard A. Proctor, who has the re.
porter's seat at all celestial events, is equal
ly non-commttal. Certain it j., at any rate,
that by its birth, it's life and perhaps its
death, this dissolute star will teach astrono.
mers many valuable lesson concerning the
universe. It may be that it will leave be.
! hind it, if it dies, a wreck Of theories which
| will bring gray headed astronomers in sor-
row to new beliefs.
ut is an odd fact that the variable stars
| which occasionally " and unexpectedly appear
in the heavens generally appearin the midst
of gaseous nebuI1 This seems to empha.
size still further the difference between the
new unknown and the other new stars; for
Andromeda is shown by the spectroscopet to
be stellar, not gaseous nebula. More
over, all astronomers so far agree that the
new star is not worn out sun unexpected
| ly blazing into new life, but is, on the con-
trary, new aggl0meration of force and
matter suddenly created or brought together
by laws not yet even to be guessed at by our
science.
"Wlth it's first flicker the new star shook
Laplace's nebular hypothesis until seamsa and
flaws stand out all over this theoretical ex.
PLANTATION of the creation for single ''ca-
tastrophic" sun blazing out with full powers
would utterly upset theory which demands
ages Of slow accreton 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
but one of many systems is untrue.
"This new teacher seems to show that all
the wonderful variety of suns-double,
triple and multiple, far distant sun clouds,
| and star dust and star vapor as welfare
alike parts of our own system, not strangers
subject to other laws and with other attri-
butes. AS this star by its birth has shown
the universal kinship of worlds, may it not
also enable astronomers to look forward to
the end of all matter?"