ASTRONOMICAL PROGRESS IN 1896. 



its light diminishing 600 times. Such long-con- 

 tinual (.-hange must be caused by some chemical 

 phenomenon in t In..- star itself. Our own Sun shows 

 variations of light, but they are vastly less than 



.eel in the stars classed as variable's. 

 The following are the shortest-period variables 

 known : 



S. Antlin- = 7h. 46m. 48s. 



Laeuillf ;VO! = 7h. HJin. i>s. 



U. 1'egasi = 5h. 32m. >'4s. 



Dr. Chandler gives, in "Gould's Astronomical 

 Journal" of July 8. 1896. his third catalogue of 

 variable stars the most extensive and complete 

 one extant. It comprises a list of 8.622 stars, ar- 

 ranged in the order of right ascension, and contains 

 all that were known at the date of publication. The 

 different columns denote right ascension and dec- 

 lination for 1900-0, the annual variation, color, 

 magnitudes both at maximum and minimum 

 periods, date of discovery, etc. Five pages are de- 

 i to names of discoverers, the types into which 

 the stars have been classified, light curves, and 

 much of interest and instruction regarding these 

 bodies. The author says, prefatorially. that very 

 few stars of the northern hemisphere have been 

 seriously neglected by the astronomers there, and 

 this harmonious collaboration without preconcerted 

 scheme is very gratifying; but he adds that there 

 is ample room for more participants, and that in 

 the southern hemisphere volunteers, for this work 

 are much needed. 



New Stars. By photography the discovery of 

 new stars is of so frequent occurrence as to elicit 

 comparatively little interest among astronomers. 

 A few of the most notable only can be alluded to 

 here. On Dec. 12. 1*95. a new star was found by 

 Mrs. Fleming, from examination of the Draper 

 Memorial photographs at Harvard College Observa- 

 tory, in the constellation Centaurus. Its place for 

 1900-0 is: Right ascension 13 h 34%3 m ; declination 

 south 31 8'. Its spectrum resembles that of the 

 nebula surrounding 30 Doradus, and also that of 

 20937 of the Argentina General Catalogue, but 

 is unlike that of the ordinary nebula or those of 

 the new stars in Auriga, Norma. and Carina. It is 

 nearly in contact with 5253. Dreyer's New Gen- 

 eral Catalogue of Nebuht>. following it T28 8 . and 

 is north of it 23". No trace of this star is visible 

 on 55 photographic plates taken from May 21 to 

 June 14. 1895. Its magnitude was T'2. On Dec. 16 

 it was of the eleventh magnitude, with spectrum 

 closely resembling that cf the adjacent nebula. 

 Like the new stars in Cygnus, Auriga, and Norma, 

 this one appears to have diffused itself into a 

 nebula. 



In the "Cordoba Durchmusterung "(31-10536") 

 is a star of 9 - 5 magnitude, having very nearly the po- 

 sition of nebula. New General Catalogue. 5253. The 

 /inra'y position differs from that of the nebula only 

 1'4 5 in right ascension, and 18" in declination, and 

 so it is rendered uncertain whether the star referred 

 to was the nebula or the nova. In a small tele- 

 scope with low power the appearance of the nebula 

 is such that it might easily be mistaken for a 9-5 

 magnitude star, though careful observation shows 

 it to be ha.-^y. From estimates of Prof. W. J. Hus- 

 sey. of the Lick Observatory, the nova declined in 

 brightness from the 11-2 magnitude on Dec. 22, 

 I*!i5. to 14-4 magnitude on June 11, 1896. and was 

 surrounded by a faint, irregular nebula, which ex- 

 tended continuously to the bright nebula. New 

 General Catalogue '5253. On June 26 its bright- 

 ness was reckoned at 15'25. and on July 9 at nearly 

 the sixteenth magnitude. On the latter date it was 

 difficult to detect the star in the midst of the neb- 

 ula, which appeared to be continuous with the 

 brighter nebula referred to. When the star was 

 VOL. xxxvi. A 4 



brighter the nebula about it was invisible, jii 

 iin doubt, a comet can n< when superim- 



; on a star. The letter name of this nova is 

 Z Centauri. 



The subjoined is a list of new stars as given by 

 Prof. E. ('. Pickering in Harvard College < ibserva'- 

 tory Circular, No. 4. He regards their positi- . 

 reliable : 



The first star in this table was visible in daylight, 

 and. though it was generally observed, its discovery 

 was accredited to Tycho Brahe, who first published 

 an account of it and followed it as long as it was 

 visible. He found an approximate place for it, but. 

 as it was in a region rich with stars and as the 

 telescope had not then been invented, it is doubtful 

 whether it can now be identified. 



The new star found in Carina by Mrs. Fleming 

 shows a spectrum so closely resembling those of 

 JV'"v/ Auriga and A'ora Norma> as to indicate iden- 

 tity of composition. On 62 photographic negatives, 

 secured between May. 1889. and March, 1895. no 

 trace of a star was found, although stars of the 

 fourteenth magnitude are clearly depicted : but on 

 a plate taken on April 8, 1895. the star had regis- 

 tered itself, as of eighth magnitude, and on July 1 

 of eleventh magnitude. The place of this star for 

 1900-0 is: Right ascension ll h 3'9 m ; declination 

 south 61 24 . " 



Stars with Peculiar Spectra. Rev. T. E. 

 Espin, in Astronomische Nachrichten." No. 3352, 

 of May 11, 1896. has a catalogue of 210 stars of un- 

 usual spectra, which, added to his previous lists, 

 swells the number to 1.179 stars, lie appends de- 

 scriptive notes regarding the peculiarities of the 

 different types. I, II. III. and IV. This self-im- 

 i and well-performed though arduous task in 

 stellar spectroscopy is a valuable accession to our 

 scanty knowledge of the stars. 



Another table of new stars of this character is 

 contained in the '-English Mechanic." of Aug. 7. 

 ?"-'!i<'>. but most of them are of the types IV and V. 

 Save four, all are southern stars. 



The writer. Prof E. C. Pickering, asserts that the 

 spectra of the two faint stars announced as peculiar 

 in the " Astronomische Nachrichten." Vol. ('XXXV, 

 page 195. have been shown by recent and better 

 photographs, and one of them, whose position for 

 1900-0 is right ascension 17 h 38'2 m : declination 

 46" 3 announced as a stellar object having the 

 spectrum of a gaseous nebula proves to have a 

 continuous spectrum in which the hydrogen lines 

 Hp. H-y. 118. lit, and lit are bright, and the bright 

 line. 5007, absent, like that of Eta Carina\ The 

 second object (right ascension 18 h 39'3 m : declina- 

 tion 33 27 ). given as of the fifth type, shows the 

 spectrum of a gaseous nebula. 



Stars baring Dark Companions. The spec- 

 troscope has confirmed the theory held now for 

 many years, that Algol is a binary, and its com- 

 panion a dark star, which is. of course, invisible. A 

 notable addition to this class of heavenly bodies has 

 lately been made by Dr. Belopolsky, of the Imperial 



