New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-16
CELESTIAL FIREFLIES.
VARNDLES FOUND IN GLOBuLAR STAR
GU STEERS.
EEGENT REVELATIONS MADE BY PROFESSOR
BAILEY. or THE HARVARD STATION
IN THE ANDES.

IN JHt ANDES
one Of the most fascinating and mysterious
rh' non'na THAT the astronomer studies is the
fuctuation in brightness that charac ter,zes GER
tain stars. The temporary diminution in brill
fancy that few Of these bodies experience, a.
IN ;he case Of Algo is really partial eclipse by
another star small companion Of the first.
Bat in other instances the cause causes are
not 50 well understood. The change is more
riadUal and constant with most varialies than
with AEol. and sometimes there curious
irregularities in !hc period the degree Of bright
ness AT the maximum and other ecccnirlcities
that complicato explanation
Unil recently variable stars have been found
only as isolated objects. But within year or two
u has been discovered that a number If the stars
in certain huge clusters also addicted to
tvcuation. And il is only iii such clusters as
have an approximately globular form that Nari-
:.b.cs have thus far beer detected. These clus-
tors are wonderful things in themselves. aside
from the pecuiiarites that are just now attract
inr attention. Some Of them contain several
thousand stars each. no doubt sun. possibly
having family Of satellites like our sun. and.
nayhap. Shedding light inhabited worlds
Cosc 10y.
Ir "A circular Just issued by Professor +. {.
I.,koring Of Harvard CniNcr>ly a condensed
cunt is given Of the investigation Of several
star clusters Ivy Professor : /. Bailey al me
Andcan observatory Of Harvard. The clusters
ar first Photographed AT frequcni intervals ana
then The pictures are examined with care. 1t
- IN his way that the variability OF some ~
tic stars has been asCertained But "a the stars
are usually rather close together near the centre
Il the cluster one cannot always be distln-
shed from another. Hence Professor Bale!
has not undertaken TO pronounce Oh ali til, stars
"t Il cluster. In the famous omega Ccntauri
cluster. foI instance, which probably includes
t'I thousand stars h. mas scrutinized only three
a.. ;isand examining for that purpose many sue
c,s'iNc Photographic plates
H. = few clusters next 10 nothing was dis
.,rtrco. In two adjacent groups tfat include
e." hundred and fifty which were studied only
s.lple Variable was detected. In another group.
OF 81 ,he six hundred under scrutiny only one
va fouLG. The great cluster IN he c"nstcua-
tor of Iiercllcs contains Al least five thousand
stars ana 81 these Professor Bailey studied one
;hooS.rd Ii"'. ne 50; just two, Elsewhere he
b., much htItc' luck. IN AqUarus is group
lIrvn a. 40. - in Messtrs "a a.0gue. The
c',.,. HDschcl said he thousands ana
thousands ~ stars here. SmNth remarked:
"Ti 'e lnaenfCent I'D Of stars condcnscS toward
III cru1re. and presents so tne "a spherical form
That she imagination cannot but picture the in !
.uI,eNabe bIilliance of their visible heaNens
10 rs animated myriads' Although Professor
B;..iey examined only six hundred o: these stars /
he found that one in siAty was variable. Of ,he
thres thousand examined IN he Omega cen !
tanii ,iuster he proportion Of NSrahies was one
~ twenty -four. Stiil more were discovered in |
The s;ronrs known as "Messier 3 and "Messier
r. The former is in Serpens, and the latter in |
Canes Venatic. Fully nine hundred were exam
med in each group. and the proportion Of vari- !
aIies in Messier : was on. 20 ever, eleven stars,
al, ia Messer 3 one to every seven,
Most Of the Varables outside OF these cus iers, |
those thai nave been known for wears, have pc
,iods hanging in length from d day or two TO
MANY months. Very few complete ons fun oscii- |
Iation in brilliancy ~ less than DAY However. |
one is known that has period OF Only seven
hours These figures enable one better 10 sp-
NlCciatt This revelation Of Professor Rail'N's in |
,cgarG 80 the Omega Centaur cluster. OF the
~ va,iahes thus far found therein the periods !
have been determined for 1tEi and Of his latter /
number A. least ninety-eghi have periods OF
less than twenty -four hours. Three require less
than seven hours for Their subs from, one
naxjInum and return to the next. The short |
-, pcriuG found vas >ix hours and eleven min !
uies Of iho cighj having periods exceeding
tweniy- four hcurs. one axes ~ DAYS for a !
complete fuctuati,n.
Professor Baa'v notes mat some ~ these Stars /
cuint ur from minimum slowly ana drop in a /
hurry vnile others Use rapiGi! but diminish ,
slowly. But ia s.itc 81 hes. rcculiari:rs the
Icne;k Of the pcrioG who her long short, is ,
surprisingly reSular-,hat is, H. tn' omega cen
tanr group.
A. one looks at swarm If nrcnics on sum