* Astronomy

Anderson's discovery of Nova Aurigae on 31 January 1892 has become part of astronomical folklore and was re-told in many of the popular astronomy books of the era. The first that anyone heard about the discovery was via an anonymous postcard received the following morning by the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Ralph Copeland (1837-1905), announcing: "Nova in Auriga. In Milky Way, about two degrees south of Chi Aurigae, preceding 26 Aurigae. Fifth magnitude, slightly brighter than Chi". That evening as it became dark, Copeland turned one of the Observatory's telescopes towards Auriga and confirmed the discovery
Read more (PDF)