New-York tribune., 1920-01-28
New Star Born
In Sky Crash, ,
Jacoby Theory
Collision of Two Dead"
Bodies May Account for
Stranger Discovered by
the Observers at Harvard
Revealed by Photograph
Luminary Might Be One
With Habit of Disappear
ing, Another Explanation

Two theories offered yesterday by
DR.. Harold Jacohy, Rutherfurd profes-
sor of astronomy at Columbia Uni
versity. rs possible explanations for
the sudden appearance of the new
star the discovery of which was an
nounced Saturday by the Harvard Col
lege observatory, were that it either
is the result of collision between
two dead" stars or is one which dis
disappears from sight for long inter
vals
The stranger was first observed by
the astronomers at Harvard on April
-, 1917, on a Photographic plate Of
the heavens made on that date. 1t is
the fifth of five new stars that have
been observed by the Harvard obser-
vatory in five months under the d.
rection of Acting Director Solon l..
Bailey, successor to the late Professor
f.. c. Pickering, who first used the
camera to discover stars.
DR.. Jaooby said that to understand
just how the discovery came about
it was necessary to know the various
means by which this has been done
from the beginnings of astronomy.
Before the telescope was perfected new
stars were seen very rarely. They
were noticed only II bright enough to
be discernible to the unsided eye.
Revolutionize BY Photography
After the telescope came into use"
continued Dr.. Jacoby, cit became pos
sible to discover faint new luminaries, .,
as well as the very bright ones, and the
possibility finally became almost GER
tainty when Professor Pickering ap-
piled the Photographic method to the
problem"
Photographic method q telescope is used
Just as in observing with the eye, but
the big lens Is specially ground for
Photographic purposes. and q sensitive
plate replaces the human eye IT the
other end of the tube, thus the tele-
scope becomes camera especially ad-
apted to astronomy.
The advantage Of this method was
emphasized by DR.. Jacoby, who said that
while the eye could never see the faint
est of stars. sensitive plate is bound
to record them, if not in minute, then
in an hohr.
Professor Pickering's method now
being continued at Harvard" said DR..
Jacoby. was to photograph the entire
heavens on series of plates at COM
paratively frequent intervals. These
pictures were develored and filed for
examination. A special branch obser-
vatory was established at Arequipa,
Peru, to photograph the heavens of the
Southern Hemisphere which cannot be
rcach>d from the observatory at Cam
bridge.
The scientific Importance of this
observation comes from the desire of
he astronomers to find out just how
new solar systems get started. Light
on this point we can hope to obtain
only if We observe the details in many
cases. Thus Pickering's method Of at
,acking the problem by photography
will be vindicated."
What can cause the sudden increase
oi light which makes this now luminous
mass out there in space become sud-
aenly brilliant, even incandescent 2"
Or. Jacoby was asked.
Collisions Reanimate Them
Possibly we witness in these cases, !"
ne replied, IAN actual collision of two
-tars which have in the course of count
iess ages radiated all their light into
pace and thus become cold and dark.
1t is altogether probable that such dark