The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-12
GREAT is THE sPEcTRoscoPE.
1T Promises to Reveal Wonderful Secrets
as to the Process of Star-making.
(san Francisco Chronicle.)

(San Francisco Chronicle.)
| The corps of astronomers at the observ-
atory on Mt. Hamilton are now complet-
ing the results of Prof. Strawberries OBJ
servation of the great eclipse OF the sun
observed in Peru, watching that recent
wonderful visitant, the comet; studying
the bright-linen stars and other matters
| incident to the work of this, the greatest
| observatory of the world.
| 1t has never been definitely known of
| what comets were composed, but Prof.
| Capmbell has been observing the recent
| additions to the armament at all favora-
BILE opportunities with the big telescope
| and its spectrum attachment. The re-
suit OF his observation has been that
the spectrum lines show that the comet
! is composed of incandescent carbon and
nitrogen, being itself luminous. This
| has been the theory before, but it had
never before been actually determined.
The spectrum revealed the hitherto
suspected truth. While the astronomers
are satisfied with the observations of
this comet yet much is still in doubt,
and will not be solved until some big
comet appears, such as has presented
itself in past years before othe present
means OF observation were known. II
such comet should heave in sight all
other work would be suspended, and all
eyes turned upon it, resulting undoubt-
| eddy in astonishingd an almost unhoped
| for results.
Prof. Campbell at present is devoting
| most Of his time and attention to the
| study of the bright-line" stars, training
| the great lens upon them night after
night His work is greatly aided by the
! speetroscope. Of these stars there are
| only thirty-two in this hemisphere capa-
BILE of being observed, the remainder,
about nineteen in number, being IN
the southern hemisphere, and not visl-
BILE at the Lick. When the spectrum Is
| placed on the telescope, and the lens
/ trained upon one Of these stars the light
i from the star is broken up and analysed
| nv the spectrum and the colors obtained
| arranged in a broad band, according to
| their intensity. Intersectlng this band
are bright lines, whence these stars re-
| ceiye their name. The lines, according
to their position among the colors, denote
| preponderating abundance of some
element, one position indicating tin, an
other iron, and SO on through the list
of elements. In some of these stars the
number of bright lines is much greater
than in others, and this shows that the
stars are in different stages OF develop
| ment.
From these observations Prof. Camp
bell hopes to perfect a definite theory
in regard to sidereal evolution, which
will show whether the star is new one
or one partly burnt out or one entirely
dead. All observations hitherto nave
been made with comparatively small
telescopes, and but few lines were
brought out in any Of the spectra, but
when the thirty siX-inch lens, with It's
wonderful power, was turned upon them
many new, bright lines were brought out,
revealing the fact that the state OF the
| stars was far different from what was
| supposed. Continued observations will
be made upon these stars, and many
new and interesting facts may soon be
discovered.
| A very interesting object Of observa-
ton has been the new star in the con-
stellation Auriga, called Nova Auriga,
drews of the Edinburgh Observatory.
When first discovered this star was OF the
fifth magnitude, and was visible to
the naked eye. 1t remained in this state
for six weeks. 1t then decreased IN IN
tensity, and was visible only IN the large
telescope for period six weeks more,
when it totally disappeared. In August
of. last year it again appeared, having
increased to the tenth magnitude, and
it has remained in sight ever since,
increasing in brilliancy and commanding
great attention in all the observatories
Of the world. 1t is now supposed to
be in the first stage of sidereal evolution.
| In the past twenty centuries only twenty
of these new stars have been discovered,
and the extreme rareness of their APP
pearance adds greatly to the interest in
them. The most important question
in regard to Nova Auriga was the nature
| of it. Here and at Pultowa, Russia,
where the second largest telescope in
| thes world is located, the lens being
| thirty inches in diameter, the obser-
walton tended to show that it was
| planetary nebulae,i or nebulous star,
| but this theory has been denied by lead
ing English and German astronomers,
| who have claimed that it was a true
star. Recent observations at Mount
Hamilton disproye the theory OF it's being
a true star, and establish the fact that it
Is a nebulous body. The spectrum
| exhibited exactly the same features as
| the spectrum Of those stars which are
| admitted to be nebulae.
| Without doubt the spectrum has proved
| to be the most valuable scientific aid to
astronomers of all discovered in recent
wears, While it has been in use for
nearly twenty years, yet it has been only
| in the last five years that it mas proved
| to be of much value. 1t is now used
both usually and photographically
| The Lick Observatory will soon be
| furnished with a new spectroscope OF
the latest and best manufacture, ID. y.
| Mills having given a sum OF money suffl-
| Gent to purchase such a one as is needed.