Dr. and Mrs. Huggins. Note on Nova Auriga. 465 



February 25, 1892. 

 Mr. JOHN EVANS, D.C.L., LL.D., Treasurer, in the Chair. 



A List of the Presents received was laid on the table, and thanks 

 ordered for them. 



The following Papers were read : 



I. " Preliminary Note on Nova Aurigse." By WILLIAM HUGGINS, 

 D.C.L., LL.D., F.R.S., and Mrs. HUGGINS. Received 

 February 24, 1892. 



We have delayed up to the present time presenting any account of 

 our observations of Nova Aurigse, in the constant hope that fine 

 weather would enable us to make our observations more complete. 

 We think now, however, that it may be of interest without further 

 delay to send a short preliminary notice of this remarkable, and, in 

 some respects, unprecedented, celestial phenomenon. For up to this 

 time we have no record of a star in the spectrum of which the bright 

 and dark lines of the same substances have been regarded as indi- 

 cating respectively motions of approach and of recession of so great 

 magnitude. It was partly for this reason that we were anxious for 

 the opportunity of observing if any change in the amount of relative 

 motion would show itself. 



We received a telegram from Dr. Copeland in the early morning 

 of the 2nd instant, and began our observations of the star on the 

 night of the 2nd instant. 



Perhaps the most noticeable feature to the eye in the star's 

 spectrum was the great brilliancy of the hydrogen lines at C, F, and 

 G ; but the point of greatest interest was obviously that two of these 

 lines, F and G and we have since observed the same with C were 

 accompanied each by a strong absorption line on the side towards the 

 blue. Comparison with the lines of terrestrial hydrogen, while con- 

 firming the obvious presumption that the star- lines were really those 

 of hydrogen, showed at once a large motion of recession of the bright 

 lines and a motion of approach of a similar order of magnitude of the 

 hydrogen which produced the absorption. 



A photograph which we have since taken gives the star's spectrum 

 as far in the ultra-violet as about \ 3200. On this plate we see not 

 only the other hydrogen lines at h and H, but also the series beyond, 



