Beta Ceti Again

The extraordinary flare-up in the brightness of the star Beta Ceti (TIME, March 10) reported by Camille Flammarion, has been discounted by the astronomers of Mount Wilson Observatory. There has been no change in the spectrum of the star, and it is believed that the Paris astronomer may have confused it with its near neighbor, Mira Ceti, which is a true variable star and is now at its brightest.