Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-06
STAR SHARPS TRAIL
NEPTUNE'S BEGUILER
Venerable Planet staggers Across Sky
In Shameful Manner, Apparently
Under the Influence OF Mys-
terious Stranger

BOSTON, March 5.-A celestial dis
turber whose evil influence is said TO
have beguiled both Neptune and IRA
nus out of the carved ana narrow
paths of their orbits around the sun
is being hunted down by the astronom-
ical sleuths at Harvard university.
The identity of the malefactor Is shroud-
ed in much mystery In fact, no one
has been found yet who can swear that
he ever had good look at it. But the
star sharps say that 1t is new planet,
the ninth member of the earth's side
real family--and the black sheep.
Suspician that something was
wrong began as far back as 1912, when
the French astronomer, Leverrier, OBJ
served shocking conduct on the part
of Uranus. Late at night he observed
that planet wabbling wildly in his dur
nal course toward the horizon. Astro-
omer Gale was put on the trail, and
half an hour later his telescope picked
up the wabbly one and a mysterious
stranger. The stranger proved to be
Neptune.
This scandal was hushed up (al-
though the addition of a new member
to the family was never satisfactorily
accounted for), but the astronomers
continued to keep a pretty sharp eye
on Uranus and his lively companion.
Palr Stag9erS ACROSS Shy
A few weeks ago Prof. w. S. Picker
ing of Harvard, who for the purposes
of this story may be called the plane
tary chief of detectives, noticed that
the precious pair were wabbly again.
Both struggled across the heavens, and
the actions of Neptune were little short
of shameful.
Without waiting more-and worse
developments Professor Pickering put
both the offenders under espionage.
Furthermore-as a precaution and a
warning-he got both the stragglers in
tow and ''mugged" them with a sid
ereal camera.
Then a special watch was put on
Neptune The professor was pretty
sure that that planet had not learned
his bad habits from the known MEM
hers of the solar system. BY keeping
him constantly in view and casting an
inquiring eye at Uranus occasionally
he became convinced of this, and then,
recalling to mind the exploit of Lever
rier and Gale. began hunting for the
seductive stranger.
Neptune in Bad Company
This is the theory-the astronomers
call ii q nebular hypothesiS-that Pro-
fessor Pickering is working on:
Neptune is not going out of his or
bit of his own accord. Even putting
the worst construction on mis- past con-
duct will not account for his present
extraordinary actions. Uranus is not
to blame Therefore, Neptune has
either fallen into bad company or he
has an affinity" Problem: Find the
affinity
When one considers the extent OF the
universe this problem of finding Nep-
tunes affinity" might he thought some
thing of a Job. However, these as
tronomers are pretty acute. Prof.
Pickering says he is not only sure
there is new planet somewhere far
off on the edge of space. but that he
is pretty certain that II is of the twelfth
or thirteenth magnitude.
Strangest of all the professor de-
clares that he believes he has discov-
cred the spot in the heavens where
Neptune'5 bad company "hangs out.
It is a spot located approximately In
right ascension seven hours. forty
seven minutes; declination plus twen-
ty-one. This may sound vague to the
casual reader, but Prof. Pickering says
he can point his telescope right at the
spot.
Hot on Offenders Trail
Now planet of the twelfth or thir-
teenth magnitude will leave trail on
a telescope photographer plate
Knowing this, Prof. Pickering has
camera constantly leveled at the spot
in the sky where he says the new
planet is The very minute it appears
and begins exercising its hypnotic
powers on Neptune 1t will be "mugged.
In the meantime Rev. Joel II. Met
calf of Taunton, who has made name