CORRESPONDENCE. 



A PHYSICAL PHENOMENON. 



To the Editors of " Knowledge." 

 Sirs, — Two days after reading Mr. J. C. Clancey's letter, I 

 came across the following passage in " Memoirs of Benvenuto 

 Cellini, written by himself," about 1558. Translated by 

 Thomas Roscoe. Page 295 : — 



" Another circumstance I must not omit, which is one of 

 the most extraordinary things that ever happened to any man, 

 and I mention it in justice to God and the wondrous ways of 

 His providence towards me. From the very moment that I 

 beheld the phenomenon, there appeared (strange to relate !) a 

 resplendent light over my head, which has displayed itself 

 conspicuously to all that I have thought proper to show it to, 

 but those were very few. This shining light is to be seen in 

 the morning over my shadow till two o'clock in the afternoon, 

 and it appears to the greatest advantage when the grass is 

 moist with dew ; it is, likewise, visible in the evening at sunset. 

 This phenomenon I took notice of when I was at Paris, 

 because the air is exceedingly clear in that climate, so that 

 I could distinguish it there much plainer than in Italy, where 

 mists are much more frequent : but I can still see it even 

 here, and show it to others, though not to the same advantage 

 as in France." TRESSILLIAN P. WIGGINS. 



" Woodham Mortimer," Lee, Kent. 



THE NEW ASTRONOMY. 

 To the Editors of " Knowledge." 



Sirs, — I write this letter to you in the hope of publication, 

 as it contains the following challenge to the official astronomers 

 of Great Britain. Can they give any explanation of the 

 Spectra of Novae, without accepting in toto, Professor 

 Bickerton's theory of the " Third Body " as an inevitable 

 consequence of the partial impact of colliding suns, which he 

 propounded nearly thirty-four years ago ? Nova Geminorum 

 is still blazing, and a most interesting series of spectrograms 

 from it are open for their explanation. 



During 1911, some time before the star above mentioned 

 appeared, you published, in September and October, full 

 details of the theory of the " Third Body," what Professor 

 Bickerton concluded would be its life history, and the evidence, 

 a light curve and varying spectra which must accompany such 

 a phenomenon. Let us consider what he said, and what has 

 taken place. A Nova shines for many months, and is not the 

 actual collision of two suns ; which may be of only short 

 duration, perhaps lasting but an hour. With regard 

 to this point Professor Barnard may be mentioned, as he 

 has conclusively proved that neither a collision between 

 suns nor that of a sun and nebula would have anything similar 

 to the characteristics of a Nova : which is negative, but has an 

 exclusion value in demonstrating Bickerton's thesis that the 

 Nova is the "Third Body" shorn from the grazing suns, and 

 his claim that every known spectrogram proves it. All 

 astronomers who have studied stellar impact, from Lord 

 Kelvin downwards, have entirely overlooked the fact that they 

 were regarding phenomena similar to the clash of flint and 



steel, in which each Nova was a cosmic spark. Professor 

 Bickerton, alone, deduced this inductively, demonstrated it, 

 and claims recognition upon the confirmation of all spectro- 

 grams of novae in existence. Once grasp this simple con- 

 ception, and the triple mystery of these stupendous explosions 

 called temporary stars, their thermodynamic power, unique 

 light curve and complex varying spectra are explained in every 

 detail. Can official astronomy otherwise account for them ? 

 The exploding " Third Body " has been entirety ignored, and 

 one may search in vain through all recognised astronomic 

 literature without finding any trace of its conception or com- 

 prehension ; though it explains any observation ever made on a 

 new star. One eminent astronomer though, I believe, admits 

 there is such a thing, but only to say, " Why make such a 

 fuss ? " and deems it unworthy of further consideration. I 

 shall await with interest any alternative explanation of the 

 spectrograms already referred to. The accounts of the spectra 

 from N Persei and N Geminorum in their earliest stages, 

 the only two, I believe, ever obtained during the uprise of 

 the light curves of novae, are similar to those of an 

 ordinary star, with black lines, the hydrogen not having had 

 time to escape. The next day all over the world spectra of 

 the N Aurigae type were obtained, and the sequence deduced 

 by Bickerton, showing the hydrogen escaping first in 

 accordance with his theory of atom sorting and the formation 

 of ensphering shells, vividly described in the articles in 

 " Knowledge " referred to, was completely demonstrated, 

 thus rendering the official enigma of these spectrograms so 

 transparent that any intelligent child could, explain them. 

 Professor Barnard tells us he actually has seen this 

 wonderful crimson hydrogen halo form and disappear ; the 

 first stage of the phenomenon named by Bickerton " Selective 

 molecular escape." In a recent address given to the B.A.A., 

 Professor Bickerton showed that in increasing perfection of 

 detail, the South Kensington, Greenwich, Madrid, and Cam- 

 bridge spectrograms of Nova Geminorum, combined with light 

 curves, absolutely confirmed the majority of the principles of 

 the Third Body he dynamically deduced and published a third 

 of a century ago. and, as he aptly says, they leave no more 

 doubt of the effect of solar collisions than the wrecked 

 locomotives and telescoped carriages do of a railway 

 accident. Yet official astronomy looks on in impotent 

 silence, not apparently daring to admit the mistake of 

 ignoring one of the greatest discoveries ever made. The 

 scientific neglect of Bickerton's "Theory of Partial Impact" 

 is deplorable and incomprehensible, but, unfortunately, not 

 without precedent. To mention only the ease of Mendel, 

 thirty-four years elapsed before the value of his work was 

 recognised, to the untold loss of humanity. It is just thirty- 

 four years since Bickerton first published his epoch-making 

 papers, and I hope, even now' at the eleventh hour, that the 

 generalization, for which he has sacrificed a third of his life, 

 may be recognised as the basis of a greater astronomy and its 

 concomitant, a valid optimistic philosophy. 



SYLVESTER N. E. O'HALLORAN. 



7, Alma Square, N.W. 



THE ALCHEMICAL SOCIETY. 



The Second General Meeting of the Alchemical Society was 

 held at the International Club, Regent Street, S.W., at 8 p.m., 

 on Friday, February 14th. The Chair was taken by Mr. 

 Walter Gorn Old, and a paper was read by Mr. Arthur 

 Edward Waite (whose many translations of alchemical works 

 are well known to students) on " The Canon of Criticism in 

 respect of Alchemical Literature." 



The lecturer dealt with the possible existence of a mystic 

 element, in alchemical literature, from a very early period, 

 side bv side with the work of attempted metallic transmutation, 



and briefly traced its development. The lecturer further 

 considered what is implied by the fact of this mystical element, 

 whether it was a question of philosophical and theological 

 doctrine or one of mystical practice and experience ; and he 

 pointed out the need of a canon by which to determine which 

 alchemical texts are physical and which are metaphysical in 

 their object. 



The lecture and an abstract of the discussion has been 

 published in the February number of the " Journal " of the 

 Society. 



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