Evening star., 1951-03-12
Little Stor's Explosion
Near Sun Is Disclosed
Astronomers Note Increase
Of Brightness in BIowup
By Thomos R. Henry

The smallest known visible star blew
up about 25 years ago.
Astronomers have just become aware
of this catastrophe event in the nearby
heavens.
The star, known as Kruger so B, Ia
one OF the SUMS close neighbors. Light
from it, moving at speed of about 1885,
600 miles second, requires only Is
years to reach the earth. It is less than
one-seventh the mass of the sun and
only 2,000th of it's brightness. During
the strange f1are-up. however, it reached
br1lliancy 1-500th of the suns.
AS one Of the nearest and smallest
stars it is being photographed con-
tinuously at the Swarthmore College
observatory. Because of the volume of
the pictures, they are examined only
periodically and it often is years before
any scientific discovery is possible.
Luminosity Increased.
The brief flare-up of Kruger so B
has just been observed from study of q
plate exposed in the summer of 1899.
DR.. Peter van de Ramp, director Of
the Swarthmore observatory, says:
What happens is that for several min
uteS star exhibits an increase of its
luminosity. or outpouring of energy.
The phenomenon seems analogous to
that occasionally observed on the sur
face OF the sun when an area near q
sunspot becomes very much brighter
for several minutes.
''These solar eruptions are limited to
very small portion of the sun, and do
not appreciably affect its total radia-
ton. They are always accompanied by
fade-outs in short-wave RADIO
A hare-up on small stars surface,
he pointed out, represents q far more
cataclysmic event than eruptions Of
the sun.
The flare-up Of Kruger so B is the
first such event for which there Is
astronomical information.
Among 500 exposures of the star
taken over 20-year period there Is
only one discovered so far which shows
f1are-up. There is no means of pre-
dieting when another will occur on this
or any other star.
Farming may we'll be the most danger
GUS job in the United States
While serious accidents in most other
occupations are on the decline those on
the farms apparently are increasing. They
accounted for more than fourth of the
lives lost through occupational hazards
two years ago. This Is the latest for
which accurate statistics are available
and the rate may be higher today.
The growing menace of farm accidents
is stressed by the American Medical
Association through its official journal.
The increase. 1t is explained, Is due
chiefly to the growing mechanization Of
the farm. especially the use of tractors.
The individual farmer may be inexperi-
enced or inept in handling machinery
and he cannot afford the safety meas
ures which would be compulsory for any
industry.
Heavy Cost of Accidents.
Recent Agriculture Department sta
tistics are cited. During four recent
winter months, when the perils of farm
ing were at a minimum, more than q
quarter-million persons were injured
seriously enough to lose days time.
More than million days total time was
lost and the medical costs exceeded $11
million
Farm accidents naturally reach their
maximum during the summer. the most
active season in the country About 80
per cent were caused by tractors, usu-
ally unskillfully operated. The situation
is more serious. it is stressed, since very
few farmers carry any accident insur-
ance. Thus even a relatively minor &C
cident may become major financial
catastrophe for farm family
Such accidents tend to be more seri-
Gus because doctors often are hard to
get in farming communities.
There is practically nothing to be done
about it. the American Medical Associa-
tion concludes, except urge an educa-
tional campaign among farmers and
better training In the use of machinery.