IMPACT OF SUNS
N.Z. PROFESSOR’S THEORY Press Association. HAWERA, Thursday. “If the reported observation that Nova Pictoris now consists of two stars is substantiated, it practically establishes the partial impact theory of Professor A. W. Bickerton, late professor of physics at Canterbury College, and if so it is an honour to New' Zealand," said Mr. P. O’Dea. F.R.A.S., and a member of tlie council of the New Zealand Astronomical Society, when interviewed to-day regarding observations at Johannesburg as cabled. “Professor Bickerton." continued Mr. O’Dea, “was, like all other pioneers, looked on as a faddist, and his views have not received recognition. In fact, his election to the Royal Astronomical Society was even turned down. His theory was that two suns dashed past each other, forming a grazing impact and blazing up into great brilliance. This is evidently what happened to Nova Pictoris. In 1926-27 it blazed up into a star of the first magnitude, then slowly receded in brilliance. Many observations were made by Mr. G. M. Townsend at the Hawera observatory, and the spectrum of its light viewed in the spectroscope was a very peculiar phenomenon."
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Bibliographic details
Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 317, 30 March 1928, Page 7
Word Count
187IMPACT OF SUNS Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 317, 30 March 1928, Page 7
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