Show A wonderful star 41 A reader of the N Y sun propounded to that treat roat journal the following allowing query to the editor of the sun sir it is said that the star of bet bethlehem cn is visible ifft if it is where and when wrenshall shall I look for it new LONDON londo dec 24 to this the editor made the following reply which will not be uninteresting ull to our numerous renders several correspondents have lately inquired about a reappearance of the so called star of bethlehem some have bave ini mistaken staken tho the planet jupiter for this phenomenon it seems to be thought thou glit that a reappearance pe arance of this star must bo be one of the wonders odthe of the year 1881 we once told the story of the star that astronomers sometimes call tycho atcho Br bradies alies star and which has been cen fancifully dubbed the star of bethlehem in tho the year 1572 tycho brahe the most jamous astronomer of his time on oil going out to walk one evening was astonished to sec see a splendid star blazing blaz ingin in the constellation cassiopeia where re he lie knew no such star had been before it was first seen by some driving their teams aloff along tile country roads at niba night for t three I irce weeks it outshone all the other stars in the sky and by turns variety of brilliant colors then it began to fade and in sixteen months disappeared illias it has never been seen since although a small s star tar ii was as dis covered ab oa fifteen years ago near the same spot in III looking over ohp records ofas of astronomical trono mical observations it was found that a new star had suddenly appeared upp eared near the same place in the year 1204 1264 tho the theory was then formed that tills this might be a varia varia brestar with a period of over years between its ru maxima further research brought to light records of taft appearance of a bimi B lar star in that part rt of tho the sky in the year 15 there ere is a ency of eleven years between the two periods but this did not prevent somebody from calculating the SU supposed series back and t thereupon bere iere announcing that the star must have appeared a at t the time of the birth of christ jerome cardan tho the astrologer was one of the first who sa sought ought to identity this phenomenon with the star that served the wise men of the E east ast asa ava guide to the manger in in which the savior lay it was called the pilgrim grim the constellation cassiopeia Casio at tit this season is nearly in tho the zenith clarl early in the evening it occupied till aine position when tycho brahe bralie first caught sight right of the wonderful star the constellation may ie b e recognized by ita its five principal stars thay form a figure rese resembling mIlling the letter W the new etar star appeared opposite the right hand opening of the letter the observer should not ba misled by some small stars in that neighborhood which arc are easily seen with the naked eye the star that is said to occupy nearly the place pice of the of 1572 is only visible in tel scopes if this ia a variable star with a period of varying between and years if may be expected t blaze out again at any time between now and 1891 |