These diagrams illustrate Alexander Bickerton's theory of the partial impact of stars, from one of his papers in the 1879 Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. Bickerton's theory held that the origin of the universe and many other astronomical phenomena could be explained by the partial collisions of stars and other heavenly bodies. He continued to promote the theory into the 20th century, long after it had been disproven by advances in physics and astronomy.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Royal Society of New Zealand
Reference:
A. W. Bickerton, 'Partial Impact (Paper No. 4): On the General Problem of Stellar Collision' in Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 12 (1879), plate VI
Permission of the Royal Society of New Zealand must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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