Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-06-15
NEW WONDERS.



New Nebula In the Pleiades Dlsoov-
cred and photographed In Paris.
A discovery Of extraordinary interest
has just been made by Paul and Prosper
Henry, the ingenious and laborious
star-gazcrs Of the Paris observatory
BY means of their new photographinS
telescope they have found nebula ir
The Plciades which appears to be con-
nected with the star Maia, one of the
members of that famous group. Tho
most powerful telescopes have failed 10
show any trace of this strange phenom
enon when it is sought for with the eye
alone. But it clearly impresses its I'M
age upon tho Photographic plate ex.
posed to its radiation.
The Mcssrs Henry have published u
drawing of the new ncbula. 1t is of .
very singular shape Starting from
the star, it sweeps away in a broad
curve which gradually fades into in-
visibility at n distance of some three
minutes of arc. 1t produces the i'm
preston of an enormous current of neb-
ulous matter rushing spirally into the
flames of this distant sun, rs if il were
The fuel that feeds them. In some re-
spccts it recalls the appearance of the
rndiating streamcrs and banners of
light that are seen surrounding our
own sun during n total eclipse, but of
course its actual magnitude is incom-
parably greater than that of the solar
corona. Besides the great curvin :
stream ending in the star, there is
another part of the nobula more d s.
tinct and irregular which seems to b.
composed of focculent masses and
interrupted and confused currents, re-
scmhling some portions of the great
ncbula in Orion.
Tho discovery of this ncbula is doubly
interesting bccausoit has boon known
for many years that there was soma
mysterious object in Plcialos which no
telescope and no eye seemed to be able
to grasp. As long ago as 1879 Jeaurat
published map Of this star group, in
which ncbula was represented. But
astronomers long looked for the ncbula
in vain. In 1859 Tcmpel found neSila
in the Plciades, but it was not in the
position assigned by Jcaurat. Temples
nebula was aftcrwnrd seen by others,
but it hardly ever appeared the sam5.
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 Tempcl's nebula,
neither does it correspond TO the nebula
OF Jeaurat, The latter was near tho
star Atlas, and Temples nebula appears
to be connected with still another Of
these celebrated sister stars, Meroe.
That three Of the Pleiades should DO
surrounded by nebulous mass certain
ly adds strength to the hypothesis of
Mitchell that the members OF this beauti.
full group are linked together in sys-
fem by themselves, an assemblage OF
suns lying like an islandgroup 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
III Va
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
servatory is likely to prove the most
important advance in astronomy since
the spectroscope 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 more than mere glimpse of the
hidden wonders of the heavens. Sid
cpge