THE NEW STAR IN THK ANDnoMEDA NEBULA. 357 



spectrum is peculiar to the stars) that the nebula consists of 

 individual stars removed to such an immense distance as to be 

 irresolvable even in our most powerful telescopes : of infinitely 

 minute stars : or is so full of condensed portions as to give a 

 continuous spectrum. The spectrum of the star itself corresponds 

 with the nebula, being a continuous one the red end, and the 

 extreme blue being wanting, the light ceasing in the orange. 



Lord Eosse examining it with his great reflector on Sept. 

 7th, found a continuous spectrum with a bright band or line in 

 the green; Mr. Huggins on Sept. 3rd, with his 15 -inch refractor 

 found the same continuous spectrum, from C in the red to a little 

 beyond F, and he also noted an apparent condensation of light 

 from about D to B, which might be due to bright lines ; and on 

 Sept. 9th his suspicion was confirmed that there were from three 

 to five bright lines between D and B. This evidence points 

 therefore to the extreme probability of the star being in the 

 heart of the nebvila itself. 



To sum up, the new star in the nebula in Andromeda blazed 

 up between the 9th and the 1 9th of August, and from being of 

 an orange colour, and 6th or 7th magnitude, faded to a 9th 

 magnitude pale blue star in less than two months ; whilst the 

 evidence from spectrum analysis and otherwise, points to its being 

 the outburst of a temporary star, within the limits of the nebula 

 itself ; but when we know all that science can tell us, we can but 

 echo the words of the poet — 



"Ye are a beauty and a mystery." 



