Volume 5 only, 8vo (220 x 165 mm). 4 plates (2 folding), woodcut initials. Contemporary paneled calf (rebacked, endpapers renewed). Provenance: St. Patrick's College Library (rubberstamp).

THE WORLD'S FIRST AND LONGEST RUNNING SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL. This volume contains 12 issues, including the first published mention of the rare celestial event observed in July 1670 in the constellation Cygnus by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius discussed in a letter to the editor (pp.2087-2093). The event was initially thought to be a "nova" and was visible to the naked eye for several months, disappeared, and then reappeared a year later before fading completely. For nearly 340 years, this observation remained categorized as a classical nova until recent modern studies revealed that it was actually a much rarer type of explosion—a "red nova" or "luminous red variable." The new research suggests that what Hevelius observed was likely the result of a stellar merger, where two stars collided and merged, producing a bright, expanding cloud of gas and dust.