Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-04-23
NEW WONDERS.
A New Nebula in the Pleialcs Dlscov-
cred and Photographed in Paris.

A New Nebula in the Pleiadcs Discov-
cred and Photographed In Paris.
A discovery Of extraordinary interest
has just been made by Paul and Prosper
Henry, the ingenious and laborious
star-gazers of the Paris observatory.
By leans of their new photographing
telescope they have found a nebula in
the P1eiades which appears to be con-
nected with the star llaia, one of the
members Of that famous group. The
most powerful telescopes have failed to
show any trace of this strange phcnom-
enon when it is sought for with the eye
alone. But it clearly impresses it's inn
age upon the Photographic plate cx-
posed to its radiation.
The Messrs. Henry have published a
drawing of the new nebula. 1t is of a
very singular shape. Starting from
the star, it sweeps away in a broad
curve which gradually fades into in
visibility at a distance of some three
minutes of arc. 1t produces the inn
preston of an enormous current of neb-
ulous matter rushing spirally into the
flames of this distant sun, as if it were
the fuel that feeds them. In some re-
spects it recalls the appearance of the
radiating streamers and banners of
light that are seen surrounding our
own sun during a total eclipse, but of
course its actual magnitude is incom-
parably greater than that of the solar
corona. Besides the great carving
stream ending in the star, there is
another part of the nebula more dis
! 4;,,o& , -, ;,.D rr,,1,,, ,rl;al ,oo,~.+%, L.,
composed of focculent masses and.
interrupted and confused currents, re.
scmbling some portions of the great
nebula in Orion.
.Enu discovery of this ncbula is doubly
interesting because it has been known
for many years that there was some
mysterious object in Pleiadcs which no
telescope and nc eye seemed to be able
to grasp. AS long ago as 1879 Jeaurat
published a map Of this star group, in
which a nebula was represented. But
astronomers long looked for the nebula
in vain. In 1859 Tempel found a nebula
in the Pleiades, but it was not in the
position assigned by Jeaurat. Tempel's
nebula was afterward seen by others,
but it hardly eve appeared the same.
Sometimes for years it could not be
found at all, and it even seemed as
though it was not fixed in position. The
new nebula discovered in Paris does not
occupy the place of Temples nebula,
neither does it correspond to the'nebula
| of Jeaurat. The latter was mean the
star Atlas, and Tempel'snebula appears
to be connected with still another Of
these celebrated sister stars, Meroe.
That three of the Pleiadcs should be
surrounded by a nebulous mass certain
ly adds strength to the hypothesis Of
Mitchell that the members of this beauti-
fui group are linked together in a sys-
tenn by themselves, an assembfage OF
suns lying like an island group in space.
The most significant thing about the
discovery of the Henrys is the promise
it gives as to the future Importance of
photography in exploring the heavens.
The value of photographs of celestial
phenomena in determining questions of
form and location has long been rccog-
nized, but if this art is going to give
new eyes to astronomers and enable
them to detect in the heavens objects
that the sense of sight alone can not
reach, then the application which is
now being made of it at the Paris OBJ
s%ervatory is likely to prove the most
import&nt advance in astronomy since
the s~pectroscope WAS applied to analyz-
ing the sun and stars. The evidence of
the existence Of dark or invisible bodies
in space in numbers formerly I'M
dreamed Of is yearly accommodating.
The labors of the Messrs. Henry show
there is reason to hope that we shall yet
get mc:e than a mere glimpse of the
hidden wonders of the heayens.-Sm-
csfe.