ttAMTLTON SCtENTlPiC ASSOCIATtON. 135 



Kepler discovered a temporary star in 1604, and it was 

 observed for over a year, after which it has never been seen. 



Another astonishing instance of these new stars is the one 

 which burst out in the constellation of Corona Borealis (the North- 

 ern Crown) in May, 1866. 



In 1876 Schmidt, of Athens, detected a teraporar}' star in 

 Cygnus of the third magnitude. It ceased to be visible to the 

 naked eye within a month after its discovery, and can now only be 

 discerned with a most powerful telescope. 



One of the most modern occurrences of these wonderfid objects 

 is the new star which was detected in Auriga by an amateur 

 astronomer, Dr. Anderson, of Edinburgh, just 14 years ago. It 

 only remained visible to the naked eye a few weeks, and I was 

 fortunate enough to make several observations of it in February, 

 1892. With regard to this latter body Prof. Todd, of Amherst 

 College, says : " The outburst which produced the sudden rise in 

 its brightness must have taken place on a scale inconceivably grand. 

 The complex character of its spectrum in Febrnary, 1892, indicates 

 a probable collision, or at least a near approach of two vast gaseous 

 bodies travelling through interstellar space with a relative motion 

 exceeding 500 miles a second." 



One of the greatest authorities on such matters, the late R. A. 

 Proctor, concludes: "A change in our sun, such as affected the 

 star in Cygnus, or that other star in the Northern Crown, would 

 unquestionably destroy every living creature on the face of this 

 earth ; nor coiild any escape which ma}' exist oti the other planets 

 of the solar system. The star in the Northern Crown shone out 

 with more than 800 times its former lustre ; the star in Cygnus 

 with from 500 to many thousand times its former lustre. Now if 

 our sun were to increase tenfold in brightness, all the higher forms 

 of animal life, and nearly all vegetable life, would inevitably be 

 destroyed on this earth. If the sun increased a hundredfold in 

 lustre his heat would doubtless sterilize the whole earth." 



Of course, the final word has not yet been spoken on this pro- 

 found subject ; and it is only b}' a closer study of the starry hosts, 



