Abstract
DR. RITTER, when dealing with stellar atmospheres, touched upon the question of pulsation periods and changes of density of gaseous stars. His deductions are that the brightness of a variable (gaseous) star is inversely proportional to the square of its volume, and also that the period of pulsation varies inversely as the square of the star's density. Now Nova Persei's periods of pulsation have increased from about one day to five days and longer, from which changes, according to Dr. Ritter, we can estimate that the star's density has diminished from 1/10 to 1/300 of that of water. The square of the ratio of these two fractions is 1/900, The brightness of Nova Persei should have decreased to this fraction, which is equal to a decrease of about seven magnitudes.
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STROMEYER, C. Density and Change of Volume of Nova Persei. Nature 67, 612 (1903). https://doi.org/10.1038/067612a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/067612a0
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