Astronomers last week rejoiced in a blessed event: the birth of a nova ("new" star). In the constellation Corona Borealis, the humble star called "T" had jumped its luminosity a thousand times. First to take notice was Astronomer Armin Deutsch of Wisconsin's Yerkes Observatory. Promptly, his beaming boss, Director Otto Struve, sent a telegram to Harvard, world clearinghouse of astronomical news. Back came a pat on the back. That same star, said Harvard, had misbehaved before. A crude old photograph, taken in 1866, proved that T Corona Borealis was a "repeating nova," very...
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