The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-08-18
SCIENCE.
TEST or rsoPosEp TO AccorST
FoR THE INV STAR or 1901

TEST nj TO ACCorNT
FoR THE SEw STAR or 1901
Prof " n Pi-hc7ing has made ob~erva-
ions 60 decide between the theories which
ascrba the pheno uena 81 Nova Pcr-ei Ia.
first, a collision be; Wecn Two star moving
in opposite directions nearly In the line Of
sight, and. secondly. 10 the explosion 81
a single body On the latter hypothesis the
gases s.nt M from the body would IT,
sent out In all directions and therefor"
would 10 moving toward the observer I'm
the nearer Hemisphere 81 tho body, away
from him In the body's further hemisphere
As ,i,,.-- gasrs cooled in their advance
into space they would cause dark line alb
sorptions superposed on a bright line
spectrum due to emission.
Relative 10 the observer tho gases coming
from the body's nearer hemisphere would
displacc tho dark lines toward the violet
and would H. cooler on the side turned
toward him. while the bright ines would
h. Displaced oppositely for the further
hemisphere and tho gases would hc hotter
on tho side turned toward him
II the Appearances are due to \ collision
the relative velocity Of the sources Of dark
and of bright lines should be- greatest At
the time ~ the stars maximum brllliancy
and less afterward II they are due 10 an
explosion the relative velocity should be
least while tho heated gases are forcing
their way through a resisting medium,
and greatest when the crust has given way
under the strain. Observation made tn
discriminate h-tween these two conSe-
auences lead Prof Pickering To favor tho
explosion a. against the collision theory.
TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM ~ ANCIENT TIMES
II Is well known that clay baked in n
brick furnace - magnetized along an axis
which corresponds to the axis of IN" terrc--
tnal magnetic field AZ tho moment 81 baking.
and II i noteworthy that tho magnetization
j. vrry permanent On these facts VI.
Folgher-it.r has founded a method 81
studying the inclination Of the magnetic
needle In antiquity. He determines the
direction ~ the magnctic axis of pottery
81 Etruscar and Roman times The deCli-
nation Of the nerdle cannot IT, determined In
this way on ac,oun 81 the impo-sihiity
Of knowing exactly how the vases stood In
,h. haking ovens. w know that they stood
vertically. hut NO one can say which side
was to the 'front.'. 1t j. quite possible that
this method NAV he extended 20 determine
tions referring +" geologic epochs Nv Oh
serving the direction of magnetization of
stFafA inal nave ihFl lIttlrlnfFnfl ltlip
brick nv lows ~ hot lava The latter
QUESTION l. now hcing studied IN the volcanic
region Of the Puy-de-Dome In France
ORBITS or TWO vsRIsHLE STARS.
NJ. 4 W Roberts has reduced tho oh
scrvations ~ two variable stars RR and
L puppi-. He finds them ls.st satisfied for
the first star hv suppo.ing th" variation
~ light Ia H. due 10 cclip-'~ 81 the light IL
a star nv n satellite one-third it, diameter.
the smaller star heing nearly twice ~
bright a. the larger. The distance between
N. surfaces Of the two starr l. about two
thirds Of tho radius Of the orbit. and tho
density of tho system l. about one-si Xth 81
the sun : density
Thr l,st explanation 81 the variations
~ light ~ the SECOND system II puppis
q, ob'ainci hv surprising II To he composed
~ two STAR equal Ia sinr, tut slightly un-
cqual ia hrtghtn"~s. moving In a circular
priit ~ that the two component starr
arr in contact and still preserve their cir
rular form a condition 81 AFFAIR." that ap-
pear Ia to improbable on = PRIOR ground.
roIsRIs A. , TRIPLE span
4 recent Bulletin of the Lick observatory
an earlier announc-ment that
polans - n triple star Tho bright star
he North star moNs~ about tho ccuir-
Il mas - iiSsf aud n DARK companion s,af
= dave. - hour II minutes Thee
star al~p move slowly around = third
tark star Ia a long period
'norIn NorioN "a rsk STAR oKooNHKIpor
ISgn
Ne ls0 - Gn.pmhndgr's CAialasue
Il starr change IT, ~rs-itipn IN the skv
" al arr 81 = htir over 20 y-arlv Ia
81 yoar - prsi'iun in tho -ky ~il change
" an ar -Iuai ~ tho ttam-t~r offh. run
noon ONLY uua -fhr 10 fh~ cav la q
mufiuu yfvatsf Than this 1h.
l~arAllNH ~ Tits faint Ia "a, magnitude
- Alsluf 4. = -~nnd ~ ar, aLd l~stp.-
mea-ufsfu~uts - us r~lfvlty tu no
in. ~ sghi. MAD 81 th. l4rk Observatory.
shv- That The sAf b. moving ath~ar No
~ sighi o. thr usfs ~ ~ mike J+r
sccund ~hioh is me Sr,AI~g curv-guDdl.x