1903.] Frofeasor H. H. Turner on The New Star in Gemini. 



375 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, June 5, 1903. 



George Matthet, Esq., F.R.S., Vice-President, in tlie Chair. 



Professor H. H. Turner, D.Sc. F.R.S. Pres. R.A.S. 



The New Star in Gemini. 



Discovery forms only a small part of the work of an astronomer ; 

 indeed, so engrossing is the study of the heavens under their normal 

 aspect, that some astronomers are almost indifferent to new objects. 

 It has been declared that the discovery of a new comet is merely a 

 matter of money, i.e. of automatic searching for a given length of 

 time. Those who note only the large comets, of which we have not 

 seen one since 1882, may be surprised to hear that 100 faint comets 

 have been discovered and watched since then. But during the same 

 period only ten new stars have been found, as may be seen from the 

 following complete list. (Harvard Circular No. 4, extended.) 



List of New Stars. 



Of these no less than six were found by the scrutiny of photo- 

 graphic plates at Harvard College Observatory, most of them, how- 

 ever, only being recognised long after the original outburst. These 

 Vol. XVII. (No. 97.) 2 c 



