274 



SCIENCE. 



expression of opinions from those who are anxious for 

 it to fulfill the best hopes of its promoters, and Pro- 

 fessor Cooper leads the van of those who, with hopes 

 and fears, already see danger ahead, and would be in 

 time with their council. 



The advice of Professor Cooper is most excellent, 

 but in part it appears to us somewhat superfluous ; 

 that " the first President of the University of Texas 

 should be pre-eminently an organizer, conversant with 

 the best systems both in America and Europe, and 

 alive to the growing demands of the age, and that the 

 instructors should be the best men, sought without re- 

 gard to section or creed," are recommendations which 

 involve principles universally acknowledged; if the ap- 

 pointments are not made to accord with these prin- 

 ciples, it will not be from ignorance that such a course 

 should be followed. 



But alas, academical appointments, like those in 

 political life, are often influenced by " interest" and at 

 some times by " expediency." As an instance of the 

 latter class, we may refer to a case in which a most 

 eminent American Naturalist was a candidate for the 

 chair of Natural History in a Northern University. 

 His high claims over other candidates for the position 

 were admitted, and he was told informally that he had 

 been appointed. The professor was preparing for his 

 new home, when he received the very sudden an- 

 nouncement that another of the candidates had been 

 finally selected for the position. The explanation of 

 the mystery was very simple. The University, or Col- 

 lege, was supposed to be filling the chair of Natural 

 History, as Professor Cooper would desire, " with the 

 best man without regard to creed or section," but un- 

 fortunately there was a want at the establishment for a 

 man to do ministerial duties ; the result was that the 

 trustees, in filling the chair of Natural History, rejected 

 the eminent Naturalist, and selected from among the 

 candidates the one who had the greatest capacity for 

 prayer. 



For our part, we believe that such complications 

 suggested by Professor Cooper, are not to be antici- 

 pated; when the buildings are ready, the right 

 men to fill the positions in the faculty will be 

 forthcoming. The establishment of a University 

 in America, is no new experiment, and the ex- 

 perience of the past will be a valuable aid to those 

 who will organize the University in Texas. 



As a rule, the management of the Universities and 

 Colleges in the United States, is one of the redeeming 

 points which has done much to restore confidence in 

 the institutions of this country; the selection of Pro- 

 fessors is also usually judicious, and among the corps 

 of instructors, the Dumber of those who do honor to 

 the position they occupy is fortunately great, and no 



American now has need to leave his native shores to 

 obtain a thorough knowledge in any department of 

 science. 



TYCHO BRAHE'S NEW STAR. 



On November nth, 1572, Tycho Brahe noticed a 

 new and very bright star in the constellation Cassio- 

 peia. Afterwards it appeared that this star had been 

 seen before at various places in Europe, and Tycho, 

 in order to fix its position, and to determine whether 

 it moved, began a series of measures with his sextant, 

 by which he connected the position of the new star 

 with nine known stars in the same constellation. The 

 new star shone with a wonderful brightness, being 

 brighter than the planet Jupiter, and, according to 

 some reports, it was visible in full daylight. In Janu- 

 ary, 1573, its brightness began to wane, and in May 

 of the same year it was only of the second magnitude, 

 or as bright as Polaris. It remained visible to the 

 naked eye, however, until March, 1574. 



This star was also remarkable for the changes of 

 color that it exhibited. At first it was white, then it 

 became yellow, and, finally, red. But in May, 1573, 

 it was again of a dull white color, and remained so 

 until it disappeared. 



Although many cases have occurred of new stars 

 blazing out for a short time, and then fading away 

 beyond the sight of the naked eye, such as those of 

 1866 and 1876, yet Tycho's star, on account of its 

 brilliancy and its long duration, is the most remarka- 

 ble of any star of this kind of which we have any 

 authentic record ; and his observations of it have been 

 carefully reduced and discussed by several astrono- 

 mers. Professor D' Arrest, of Copenhagen, made a 

 very complete catalogue and chart of 2 1 2 stars, which 

 are within a distance of ten minutes from the position 

 of Tycho's star. This catalogue is for the year 1865, 

 and it will serve for a standard of reference in case 

 Tycho's star should again blaze out. Mr. J. R. Hind, 

 of England, by the reduction of a part of Tycho's ob- 

 servations, found the position of the new star to be for 

 1865, 



A.R. = 4 16' 48": Decl. = + 63° 23' 5". 



(Monthly Notices, Royal Astronomical'Society, Vol.21, 

 p. 233.) From a more complete reduction of Tycho's 

 observations Argelander found for 1865, 



A.R. = 4 19' 58": Dccl. = + 63 23' 55". 



(Astronomische Nachrichten, Band 62, p. 274.) This 

 position agrees very well with that of a small star of 

 ■ the io^th magnitude, which is No. 123 of D' Arrest's 

 catalogue. The position of this small star for 1865 is, 



A.R. = 4 19' 30": Decl. = + 63 22' 54". 



When we remember that Tycho's observations were 

 made without the aid of telescopes or of any magnify- 

 ing power, we may consider the difference of these 

 positions as within the limits of the probable error of 

 his determination. We conclude, therefore, thai 

 Tycho's star is still visible in our telescopes, and that 

 its brilliant appearance in 1572 was only an extreme 

 case of the variations of light that are frequently hap- 

 pening among the stars. 



