Discovering a Star.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7743, 20 February 1905, Page 3

Discovering a Star.

A HAPPY ACCIDENT..^ In this extremely interesting work. " Astronomical Discovery," jusl published by Mr Howard ArnuM, Professor Herbert Hull Turner, of Oxford, lells the siory of how he accidentally dUcovered a. new star in 'the Gemini last year. Jhiring n systematic photographic survey of the heavens, something went wrong with the plates, which were thrown to one side. The accident to the plates was rather discouraging, for the same photos could not be taken un.il the same time next year. ( •' However," in Professor's Turner's own words, " disappointment.; from this or similar causes are not junknown in astionoinicnl w'ork ; and we sot about this repetition with as little loss of lime and cheerfulness 'as was possible. I'nder the circumi stances, however, it seemed desirable 'to examine carefully whether any- ' thing coukl be saved from the wreck —whether anyuif the plates could be admitted as jiist coming up to the minimum requirements. And I deI voted a morning to this enquiry. In Ithe course ;i of it I came across a plate which certainly seemed worth an inclusion among our series from the point of view of the number of stars shown upon it. It seemed quite

RICH IN STARS, perhaps even a little richer lhan might have been expected. " On enquiry I was told that this was not one of the originally condemned plates, but,one which had taken since the failure in sensitiveness of the.plates had been delected:, was from a new and specially sensitive batch with which the courteous makers had supplied to us ; but though there were certainly a sufficient number of stars upon the plate, owing to some unexplained cause the telescope had been erroneously pointed, and the region taken did not correspond w'th the : region required. '•• To investigate the cause, of the discrepancy I thereupon took down from our store of plates the other, one of the same region which had been rejected for insufficiency of stars and on comparing" the two it was at once evident that there was a 'strange object on the plate taken later of the two,, a bright star or other heavenly body, which was not on the former plate. It was easily possible to recognise whether a mark upon the plate is really a celestial body or an accidental i>lo't or dust speck), and there was no doubt that this was the image of some celestial body.

■■ far as we knew, the object was u star, but might be either a star of the class known as van'ablo lor of that known as new. In the | former case it would become bright and faint at more or less regular intervals, ami might possii.ly have [been already catalogued, for the -numbers of these bodies already I known amounts to some hundreds. Search -being made in the catalogues no enti-y of it was found, though it still might be one of this c'ass that had escaped detection. Or might it be a ' new star.' one of those curious bodies which blaze up unite suddenly to brightness and then die away gradually until they become

PRACTICALLY INVISIBLE. " In either event, it was desirable fxi inform other observer's as soon as possible of the existence ot a strange body ; already some time had elapsed sjnee the plate-'•bad been taken, March 16, for the examination of which I have spoken was not made until March 24. " Accordingly a telegram was at once despatched to the central office at Kiel, which undertakes to distrubute such Information all over the world., and a few post cards were sent fo observers close at hand wfio might be aMc to observe the star the same night. Certain observation with the spectroscope soon made it clear that the object was really a ' new star.' " which may be said to have been discovered by a happy accident. Scveiril sCmilar accidental discoveries are related by iProfeSor Turner in his new book, jwhich is of extreme interest.—Uailv MaiJ.