Now, one of the most powerful instruments of research in the new astronomy is the spectroscope. It takes hold of the rays of light that come to us from a star, and makes these rays reveal the condition of things in the world they come from. One of the spectroscopes turned on the new star in Perseus was Professor Copeland’s magnificent instrument at Blackford Hill Observatory, Edinburgh. Professor Copeland described the new star as “a feebly developed” sun. As the star, however, increased in brightness the spectroscope chronicled the fact that great physical changes were taking place in its composition and structure. The star soon ceased to be a feebly developed sun, for development had gone on apace with the increase of light. Round the solid or semi-molten mass there was rapidly aggregating an ocean of fiery gases, probably thrown up from the nucleus. Put simply, Nova Persei, for long ages a cold, dark, solid globe, was in the brief space of a few days transformed from circumference to core into a luminous, heated gaseous sphere. By what chance or circumstance this vast change came about may be inquired into later on. We only note here that this was the story spelled out by those skilled in deciphering the observations recorded by the spectroscope. In July, 1901, Professor Pickering of Harvard Observatory announced that the star had become a nebula; that, indeed, its once solid globe had practically dissolved into thinnest air. Not only had its elements become molten with fervent heat, but they had become transformed into shimmering wisps of matter more diaphanous than a gossamer web. Everything connected with the history of this star is of exceptional interest; but all that had already been ascertained was completely overshadowed by the astonishing discovery made in November, 1902, that nebulous prominences were observed darting out from the star with a velocity of at least 100,000 miles every second of time. These astonishing changes have been confirmed at the two great American observatories, the Yerkes and the Lick. Whence and how had destruction come upon this particular star? At one hour the star is dark, cold, solid. A few hours later this dark, solid, cold body is a blazing world, its solid mass blown apparently into countless fragments; from every fragment, big or little, there pour streams of fiery vapor; for millions of miles round the star there is a whirlpool of fire, a tempest of flame; and from end to end of this great universe of ours the brightness of the burning star pulsates. Three explanations have been given.