The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-02
new STARS IN THE HEAVENS
FIVE HUNDRED DOUBLE STARS
DISCOVERED.
Most Important Contribution to As
tronomy Since the Days of Her
schel-Twinkling Stars Explained

Astronomical discoveries of great
value are reported by DIR. T. ]. ]. Lee,
who has charge of the Lowell observa-
tory in Flagstaff, Ariz. DR.. Lee said
since August, 1896, he has discovered
about 500 new double stars and has
measured about 700 objects noticed by
previous observers. Many of the stel-
lar systems discovered are large and
brilliant and thus possess the highest
interest. He says within the last year
the Lowell observatory has examined
no less than $4,000 stars. They have
swept over 1000 systems.
Some of the new stars are very close
together and are barely separated in
the great lens. Others are unequal in
brightness and require the best atmos-
phere for effecting a good separation.
The discovery of these 800 new double
stars is accounted the most important
contribution to southern astronomy
since the survey of Sir John HerSchel.
60 years ago. One of these stars has
been found TO revolve only once in five
years and another in about is wears.
Both have become of the highest inter
est to observers.
The plan of Dr.. Lee is to produce a
great catalogue of every double star
within 70 degrees of the south pole, and
with this object in view he will con-
tinue his explorations for several years.
One interesting conclusion DR.. Lee
has reached involves a modification of
the famous 'nebular hypothesis"
which for more than a century has
been accepted as the most reasonable
theory of the origin of either stellar or
planetary systems. The new double
star discoveries are interpreted by DR..
Lee TO suggest that the more usual
method of the formation of a system
originally is that the central mass di-
vides en- masse. The satellite then be-
gins life not as an annular ring about
the original body but in nearly it's orig
inal form. The ring of Saturn, he re-
CARDS simply as an exception to the
rule. One of the phenomena suggesting
this is the genel'd inequality Of the
cOmponents of a double star system.
Besides, their orbits are, as rule, Il
times more elliptical than the orbits of
a planetary system.
To a mathematician this suggests
factors that have no place on a plane
tary system. One of these factors is the
action of stellar tides, which exert a
retarding tendency and ultimately fiat
ten the orbits which originally may
have been nearly circular
A phenomena Of great general inter
est is the tWinkling of the stars, so
familiar on clear, cold nights. This,
Dr. Lee says, is due to small waves or
currents in the air about the size of an
egg or sometimes even larger than a
mans hand. These little waves fill
the air under certain conditions, as on
a cold night, and. imposing before the
eye, dart the light from side to side,
and in this way convert the light of
the star into colors or extinguish it en-
tirelY.
The appearance is similar to light re-
fiected from wavy running water Mr.
Douglas discovered how to see these
waves with a telescope, and DR.. Lee
brings proof that they cause the
tWinkling.
Other important discoveries have
been made in the Lowell observatory.