"NEW" AND VARIABLE STARS. 399 



served in August, 1885, in the great nebula in Andromeda forms 

 no exception, for in Dr. Boeddicker's beautiful drawing of the 

 galaxy, which has just been published, a faint extension of nebu- 

 lous light is shown stretching from Cassiopeia's Chair to the 

 nebula referred to. 



A better example of a true temporary star is that which ap- 

 peared in November, 1876, near Rho Cygni. It was first seen by 

 Schmidt at Athens, soon after sunset, on the evening of Novem- 

 ber 24th, when it was about the third magnitude, and slightly 

 brighter than Eta Pegasi. The appearance of this object was 

 also probably sudden, for between November 1st and 20th 

 Schmidt observed the vicinity, and was certain that no star of 

 even the fifth magnitude could have escaped detection. Between 

 November 20th and 24th the sky was, unfortunately, cloudy, so 

 that the exact time of its appearance is unknown. This star was 

 quite new, as it does not appear in any star-chart or catalogue. 

 Like most of these curious objects, its light faded very rapidly. 

 In the forty-eight hours following the night of November 27th 

 it diminished to the extent of one and a half magnitude, and on 

 November 30th it was reduced to the fifth magnitude. It after- 

 ward decreased with tolerable regularity, and in September, 1877, 

 it was below the tenth magnitude. In subsequent years it be- 

 came very faint. Ward found the star only sixteenth magnitude 

 in October, 1881, and it was estimated of the fifteenth magnitude, 

 at Mr. Wigglesworth's Observatory, in September, 1885. It was 

 examined with the spectroscope a few days after its discovery, 

 and its spectrum showed bright lines similar to the star in Co- 

 rona Borealis. Subsequent observations seem to show that this 

 extraordinary object changed into a small planetary nebula ! 



The star which appeared in August, 1885, in the great nebula 

 in Andromeda (31 Messier) has been already referred to. It seems 

 to have been independently noticed by several observers toward 

 the end of August. It was, however, certainly seen by Mr. T. W. 

 Ward, of Belfast, on August 19th, at 11 p. m., when he estimated 

 it at nine and a half magnitude. On September 3d the star was 

 observed at "seven and a half magnitude, at Dunecht, by Lord 

 Crawford and Dr. Copeland, and its spectrum was found to be 

 "fairly continuous." The star gradually faded away, and on 

 February 7, 1886, was estimated only sixteenth magnitude with 

 the twenty-six-inch refractor of the Naval Observatory at Wash- 

 ington. Dr. Auwers has pointed out the similarity between this 

 outburst and the star of 1860 in the cluster 80 Messier, and thinks 

 it very probable that both phenomena were due to physical 

 changes in the nebulae in which they occurred. 



The most recent example of a new star is one discovered by 

 Mr. T. D. Anderson, of Edinburgh, in the last week of January 



