300 A. Hall — Nova Andromedce. 



much of this speculation was of the wildest character, and some 

 very uncertain inferences were drawn. The new star has now 

 faded away to a mere speck of light, visible only in our largest 

 telescopes. Unfortunately, and perhaps unavoidably, we have 

 learned but little more from this new star concerning the na- 

 ture of nebulas and variable stars than we knew before its ap- 

 pearance. But the history of its discovery, its observation, 

 and of its gradual fading out, is interesting enough to hold our 

 attention for a little while. 



The appearance of the new star was announced by Dr. Hart- 

 wig on August 31st, but it had been seen by him on the pre- 

 ceding night with a small telescope, and he had suspected some 

 change in the nebula as early as the 20th of August, but bad 

 weather, and a lack of instrumental means for making the 

 matter certain, deferred the announcement until the 31st. Prom 

 the various estimates at that time the star was probably a little 

 brighter than the seventh magnitude, or just below the limit 

 of visibility to the naked eye. The announcement of course 

 turned a host of observers to the new star, and many erroneous 

 estimates and statements were made. Some observers estima- 

 ted the brightness far too great, and several, on account of errors 

 in the observations, announced that the new star was moving 

 with an enormous velocity. It required the lapse of a few 

 weeks to clear away and correct all this error. 



After Dr. Hartwig's announcement, it appeared that several 

 others had seen the new star, but for some reason, perhaps 

 want of familiarity with this nebula and lack of confidence 

 that a new star had really appeared, they did not make a pub- 

 lic announcement. Thus the Baroness Podmaniczky, of East- 

 ern Hungary, saw the new star on August 22d or 23d, with a 

 3|--inch comet seeker, and called the attention of a visitor to it, 

 but they do not seem to have been certain that the object was 

 new. This lady looked at the nebula on August 13, and did 

 not see the new star. Mr. H. S. Moore, of McKinney, Texas, 

 saw the new star on August 30. The circumstances indicate 

 that this is a bona fide observation. A really independent dis- 

 covery was made by Freiherr von Spiessen, of Winkel im 

 Rheingau, who found the new star on August 30, and immedi- 

 ately sent a postal card to the Bonn Observatory where it was 

 received on the evening of the 31st, or about a day before 

 Hartwig's announcement. Mr. Isaac W. Ward, of Belfast, 

 Ireland, claims that he saw the new star on August 19, when 

 it was of the 9|- magnitude. Finally, Professor Ludovic Grrelly, 

 of Rouen, says that he saw the new star on the 17th of August, 

 and showed it to several friends and students. On the other 

 hand Mr. Tempel, of Florence, Italy, who has done much work 

 on nebulas, and who is well acquainted with the great nebula 



