Omaha daily bee., 1916-04-28
Lost Stars and New Stars
Garrett p. serviss.

THERE Ia no known instance OF the sudden in.
i Simultaneous disappearance Of a star. In fact,
with the exception OF the vanishing Of stars which
had first been seen 70 make their appearance e..
new stars" there certain record to prove that
any recognized member Of the starry host has ever
disappeared.
A considerable number however, have faded. while
others have frightened because they belong to the
large class OF the variable stars The star Megrez,
at the junction Of the handle and bowl OF the Great
Dipperf for instance, was once the authority Of
Tycho Brahe az bright the other six stars con-
shutting the dlpper figure but AT present you
sec any clear night, II is relatively faint
The Interesting legend OF the Lost Plelad" is, no
doubt. based upon another instance OF gradually
fading star. which plainly visible 70 tho
naked eye, but has now become too faint 10 be no.
tced without optical aid There is uncertainty, how
ever 10 just which Of The Pleads II Is that for
nery shone brilliantly. Some think 1t Is
Pleone. others ABterope and still others Celaano
But Of these three stars is invisible, under ia
yorsble circumstances. 10 a keen eye
The brilliant topaz Betelgeuse in the shoulder
Of Orion. although ordinarily Of than the first
magnitude has occasionally sunk considerably below
that magnitude. IN 1852 II was the brightest star In
the northern hemisphere and in 1894 II again blazod
IN with great brillancy. II IL probably hundreds OF
times greater than sun but seochi thought. from
tho character Of It's spectrum and its eccentric
changes Of brightness that It is approaching extlnc-
tion.
The inhabitants Of the planets that Betegeuse
rules to be pted Their may last for millions
Of years yet since the agony Of star IL vastly pro-
longed but already rs radiation has become 10 vari
able that their be in fearful disorder
But there IA far than that OF Bertel-
geuse ! refer 10 Mira the wonderful" In the con-
stnation or the Whale (Cetnsl. In period OF about
23l days this astonishing star changes a thousandfod
in brightness being time far below tho range
of the naked eye, and not brighter than the ninth
magnitude, and At another time rising 10 degree OF
brightness but single step below the first rank.
AZ Il fades Il turns red, and when II brightens
again II liz Ike ruby flaming into diamond.
fierce ouburst OF white light marks tho elimination
OF each struggle Of that hopelessly dying sum- and
then It fades and sinks again into state Of
hauation,
IT'S planets n II ever had any. must long since have
perished their deahstricken forms periodically lu-
minated by the ntfu glare like stlffened victims Of
massacre, left near their expiring campfire.
While no long known and recognized star has Ms
far M records show, suddenly disappeared.
stars have suddenly burst into sight and afterward
faded rapidly away In 1901 amazingly brilliant
star made It's appearance almost In the twnkling of
an eye, az far as naked-eye observation was con-
cerned at the border Of the Milky Way, In the
stelstlon Perseus. For little while Il nearly,
quite. bright an Sirius II began 10 fade,
and IN few months II had changed. wholly or par
italy into nebula invisible to the naked eye and II
still exists
This marvellous phenomenon II generally believed
by astronomers TO have been caused by collision
open space between two previously invisible starr
whose nyisibilIty may have been due either TO their
excessive to their slight brightness We
know that the stars all in motion with velocities
sufficient TO cause immense outburst Of heat and
light II they should against another and the
fact that AZ least fifteen new stars have been re-
corded since the scientific observation of the heavens
began makes II seem probable that collisions do
sonaliy occur
Even the approach, without collision. Of two
great stars would suffice to produce similar catas-
trophe through the effects Of their tidal strain
each other.
In 1872 IN the tmeof Tycho Brahe, new star. even
brilliant than that OF 1901, burst out aso at the
edge Of the Milky Way, in the constellation cassopcia-
There telescopes and spectroscopes thon,
and when the star faded beyond the reach OF the
naked eye the precise place that II had occupied
lost; but Tycho with his imperfect instruments made
OF it's place which today TO tell APP
proximatey Its location There s visible star there
today