Changes in Star Clusters Depicted

Revision of the distances of 30 globular clusters has produced more reliable determinations of the candle-powers of such star-clusters. Dr. Harlow Shapley, Director of the Harvard College Observatory, announced at the observatory Thursday night.

"It is now found that all except some abnormal clusters have luminosities between 1,000 and 400,000 times the sun's luminosity." Dr. Shapley said. "The nuclei of two well-known spiral galaxies are shown to have luminosities within this same interval. Since the nuclei also have forms and stellar compositions similar to those of globular clusters an evolutionary connection between the two major types of large stellar systems is suggested."

Among the new determinations of distances is that of the great globular cluster in Hercules, which is 31 light years away. The address was made at the presentation of a painting of Nicholas Copernicus to the observatory.