The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1901-04-05

brOwniSh and haZy rather than perfectly
black, as would bs the case if heavenly
Space were perfectly empty. Even
along the milky way is this thin fog to
be seen. s.
According t. P,.,f Sea the e is an in
ter.Sti ~ Theory anirag some a50ro1-
omprS tn + this clrii.like IN tTter, su;h
as Nova h ~ p,n-Jril-i forms the stars
whan coni-ns. hr the action OF gravIt'.
| Others suppos, that it is driven fCom
| the stars hy cieGtric forces such as reps
| tn, t,,ilI OF com-tS from the Snn and
produce the forms OF corona about the
| sun, ,luriug eclipses. Many of these
neOllvus maS Ies are thousands OF tlm IS
| ,ary-r than the whole solar system, yet
sufficiently thin for the light Of faint
stars to penetrate them.
AS LARGE AS CUR sun.
! Pr,f S,e tD,i n that Nova is prob
ably as large rs, AMI il p"raips lager
than. oar Sur. 1t Is i'm ,nsely lrIer
thor oar earth in any case. Although
he il!el il one OF the fixed 1T irS, ha eN
pla,nrd thu, it il S) Very far away that
It's lack of III p,ion is Only apparent. Ii
IS I. tly moving at Il rapid speed Is
pli. in ths sky has bssa accucdtey y d.
terminel, aud in ,smuch as its mptibn
viii MT b. pnrceptlblh astronom rs WIZ
| know where to look for H. for years 20
COM. P,1f See sid that, although lG
may in few years r-turn to is oil
sta - of oS'.urity it will more pcbb t1ly
| 90 do WI to a faint magnitude I'd re-
main faint. Bat" he added, "on ac-
count of wh,t we h,ve jrss discovered
to have bafallen it, it ht' becJn' dis
tjnguShed above all OF the so-cale |
snail stars o. the heavens and will new, I
be l>Sc sight of by ASTRONOMERS
When Prof. See first viewed Nova il
waS white and trtls blush; then it
turn"d yellow, then orange. afterwarl
reddish Finally it appeared as yelrw
cen'rai surrounded by IL red ring. This
means that what astronomers term -
SprctrUm-yOu have seen the sun'S
sDIc5 um cast in seven cJiors by a prism
IS composed OF very heavy lines or
bands o. yellow AMI red, with the re-
III ,inder uf these cO.orS missing. This
the professor regards aS very remarkab!.'.
although somewhat similar to phenOm-
t'na of new stars appearing in form L
Zines. Asked what these cl!orS iudj-
! Gated with respect u ina material ,ui-
! posing Nova, he sail that there were
| at ime in it elements somewhat like ny
| Lrngtn and sodium. blt that iS seemed
10 lack all the OJh-r elem .nts present iii
usual types Of stars.
COLLISION OCCURRED \ CENTURY AGD
Nava Is probib!y billions up)n tri!li5;ls
uf mills from the earth. Tne professor
wnud nh. estimate its distance i ~ IN ne
deti itely IhLu This. III, fact Ltl,t il
| app.arS perfectly fixed in the heavens
Indicates, he sail, that its distance is in
credible It probably takes century III
perhaps more for its light to travel
through space before reaching our sphere
Therefore the sudden illumination IF
| Nova, which We earthly mOrtals higiu
to see February 81, in ali likelihood oc-
| cured when our fOrefatheIs were weal-
| ing queues and small clothes. Peerng
at Nova tonight we are doubtless look
ing backward upon au event OF the days
of our great-great-2reat-gr t-grandfd.hers
| Were we possessed Of a telesc ope of sue
! .icient power to bring The IA n stars
within very close range of vision W.
would, perhaps, witness in detail 0c-
curIeuces Of the time OF our Revolution
ary war, Vice versa, if Nova IS in
habited, and it its people are SO Il iepS in
| optics as 10 construct an instrument
strong enough to Ob serve our persons anJ
environment, they doubtless see US ligh'.
ing our ticeS with flint and steal, travel
ling lOnS diSt,nce II cum'erSomA stage
coaches. Oar cities do not gi)T with PIE
| trio lamps; nor even with z IS lig;lTs y ir
lanl is bare Of I'd leo ID: Ou. sea of
steamships a Century agj til. c.
| lltgrltinn which Nova eXp,rieuc M as il
resnlC of hes collision pr,bloiy d'"i
away, leaving he: ag lin dark sll. Y t
We Sc her toni "a aS "A shining star.
To the best OF mans Knowledge aud
b-lief, no S'i:h ph-nnIne .on aS this has
| rver occurred wIthin the soiif system.
save, perhaps, cur little met, or C shower
| Bat WHEN " con btit the iargeSG IN
/ u r,ta W'ii III We cn carry HhInt Il @
! ear,h will ina SGar-,nSJenr, Nova, rs
great aS "nr sur--whicl III, l09y times
the euth'Sdiln t,ar-.he C ,atrtsJ makes
rs aIZZy.
| Wuhm the ertire history Of Astronomy
there have before this apparel Only
eieveu ~ th-se temp ,rary stars Oily
tNb' h ave attained tle mig ,itu lp Of
! Nova -olh il lJT2, Lh. otl,'In 1871.
! ine first temporary STAR Oh record WAS
/ 5esn l3i years n-fnre Cil ist hy the
auc;euJ astronomer Iiipp4rclus Tie
| iF;rlt app ','r 3S} yet ufanr CiriSl.
! / r th'ri was TIE brightest. l.. was
lISroN"re bJ fyrn1 in N,y..n1cr. 1872
| !. h"CE'ns Is b-i,hj "a EenuS ucrS.f,
= al ".tI eveI vi,!o q bg dYilght IL
rc.:';!ni frs masnilni', but IL,
| week ui' tSo b.gLu to fade. 1t cou-
iinu"d u,iblp to LI:t naked eye for fully
| ~ -,l rn.,ntu'. There VA /. notion AT
the i!ma that this star was identical with
TIE star "f Bethlehem. The theory WAS
| TN ~ tbs ia,tef would return every 3ll
! years. II wa', therefore, eXoi:red by
| the su u9"rstitiou5 10 raturn in 1885 b..
did no.. Tht temp)cacy ST.. of IGji
| tholSh not 50 bright as that OF 1872,
| la 'toi for tw) yclrs. L th, l7tl c.n-
fury IharA AyAr, Ihraa Sill Ia nhnnnrnn,.