Daily camera. [volume] (Boulder, Colo.) 1891-1928, 1899-06-01
FINDING NEW STARS.
The Latest One Was Discovered By
Woman
Its prssence Would Have Been Know
Hx Aonths Sooner HaA II Not
Been for the War with
Spain.

Itappears that the star which has just
been discovered by Mrs. Fleming, the
curator of the astronomical photo
graphs at the Harvard observatory,
would have been found much earlier If
it had not been for the Spanish war.
The Photographic plates on which Mrs.
Fleming found the star were made in
last March and April at the Harvard
observatory at Are0uiTa, Peru. These
plates had been long in transit from the
distant observatory, and but for the
war might have been received and eN
amined and the presence of the new
star discovered some six months ear
lier. Last April. when the plates were
shipped from Peru, there was much
doubt in the public mind as TO the
safety of goods coming from South
America, through or from Spanish coun-
tries and Prof. Pickering, director of the
Harvard observatory, ordered the ship
ment of these plates, sent about that
time from the Peru observatory, TO be
made around the Horn. This DELAYED
their arrival, and consequently the dis
covery OF the star about six months.
Much importance. is attached by
astronomers to tho discovery of new
star. In the seventeenth century Is
new stars were discovered, but from
1870 to ls4s not another new star WAS
found. From 1860 to 1895, inclusive.
nine new stars have been discovered.
of which number Mrs. Fleming dis
covered four. Her discovery of this
week makes the fifth star she has
found, or one-haif OF the new stars dis
covered since 1850. or since photog
raphy and irnnroved telescopes brought
astronomy to its present high plane.
Mrs. Fleming discovered her first star
in 1887 on a Harvard Mate which had
come TO her Tor examination. The
next star was discovered in 1891 by
Scotch clergyman. who thought so lit
tie of his discovery that he notified the
astronomers at Edinburgh of il anony-
mously. and was surprised when he
learned they knew nothing of the star.
close examination of the Harvard
plates by Mrs. Fleming showed that
this star was present in them, and
would doubtless have been discovered
by her had the plate not been imper-
feet All other stars found since that
date. four in number, including the lat
est one, were first s.en by Mrs. Elem
ing
Whether this latest discovery will
merge into a nebula is question of the
highest interest TO the Harvard astron
omers. and undoubtedly to others. for
the whole astronomical world knows
through telegraphic bulletin sent out
yesterday by Prof. Pickering. of the
discovery of Mrs. Fleming.
So complete are the Harvard photo
graphic records of the heavens that
within n few hours after the discovery
Of the star in the plate from Peru Mrs
Fleming was able to state authorita
lively that the star had never been Wis
ible, in modern times, at least, prior
TO ls9s. for the plates of ten years be
fore its discovery do not show il, though
they show stars as faint as the fifteenth
magnitude. The Harvard astronomers
in Cambridge and Arequipa photograph
the entire heavens every year. making
complete record OF 'h>m. and some
sections are photographed many times
over Nothin" .acapes their powerful
telescopes and Photographic lenses
and the record of thsir work is tn,
most complete in the world.-Boston