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Show I I II I 1 1 NEWS NE'VS NEVS ' FROM THE STARS | I HarvardI ! ' Investigations by Dr . Harlow Shapley ShapleYt Shaple3 ShapleYtnoted , , noted Harvard Harvardastronomer Harvardastronomer astronomer , following followmg the flare-up flare up - of a new , star smr in May Mayt May1925 t , 1925 X925 ' , led him to believe that the phenomenon , was causedby caused causedby causedby by the eoltision collision of two h\o h o \ stars , an extremely rare occurrence occun"ence occunence " , . 1 I ' Butthe But , the collision which caused the appearance of rthe the rtheleW thehew theStew Stew ) leW star sta to earth dwellers in 1925 really happened in the theyear theyear theyear year year1390t 1390t 1390taccordmg 1390 , according accordmg to Dr . Shapley , whose measurement of ofthe ofthe ofjthe the distance of the star from the earth indicates that it is so sojar sofar sofar jar far away that it would take a ray of light 535 years to come cometo comeo cometo to o us , although althought ! its irts speed > is about 186,000 186000 , miles a second , . l t lSuch tSuch Such things thmgs give food for reflection , although the figures figuresinvolved figuresinvolved figuresinvolved involved can can an not be even faintly famtly comprehended by the human human"mind humanmind humanmind "mind mind " . But it is interesting mterest.mg mterestmg . to contemplate that if it were possible pos- pos possible pos possible - sible for a be being bell1g , 7ig on that particular star to look through atelescope a atelescope atelescope telescope powerful enough to see the details of what is gomg going goingon gomgon goingon on on eartht earththe earth , he would not see what is taking takmg place today todaYt todaYtbut , but butwould butwould butwould would witness the happenmgs happemngs happenings , of 535 years ago-or ago or ago - - or about about700 700 years before the discovery of America . . By a similar slm1lar calculahont calculahontIf calculation , if a radio program were broad broad- broadcast broadcat broadcast - cast cat tonight tomght fiom 10m front the star , called Nova PlctorlSt PlctorlStwith Pictons Prctoris , with suffi SUffI- SUffIcient sufficient sufficient - cient power to 1 i leach each the eartht earthtour earth , our radio sets might pick it up in the year2171t year 2471 2171t 217I 2171tbut , , but nosooner no - sooner -sooner . But Nova Pictons PICtOrIS is a relatively near neighbor , as ascelestial ascelestial ascelestial celestial d distances stances go go/ goOur / . Our present telescopes bring into intovIew into intoview , mtoview vIew objects from which it would take a ray of light m1llmns millions m1llmnsof millionsof of yeal yeais S'cols Scols ' s to reach earth . And what is beyond ? . It almostmakes almost almostmakes almostmakes makes one's ones onets ' head swim to think about it . Perhaps _ that is iswhy iswhy . why the average person seldom thinks thmks about such things . . I |