3 CO THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of minute stars in and near it. The star y is an irregular variable. 

 In 1G70 it is said to have almost disappeared, while at the begin- 

 ning of the eighteenth century it was more than twice as bright 

 as it is to-day. The reddish star S is also probably variable. In 

 my Astronomy with an Opera Glass will be found a cut showing 

 a singular array of small stars partly encircling 8. These will be 

 widely scattered, even with the lowest power of a telescope. 



Eastward from Canis Major we find some of the stars of Argo 

 Navis. 2 1097, of sixth magnitude, has two minute companions at 

 20" distance, p. 311 and 312. The large star is itself double, but 

 the distance 0'8", p. 1G6, places it beyond our reach. According 

 to Burnham, there is yet a fourth faint star at 31", p. 40. Some 

 three degrees and a half below and to the left of the star just ex- 

 amined is a beautiful star cluster, No. 1551. Nos. 1564, 1571, and 

 1630 are other star clusters well worth examination. A planetary 

 nebula is included in 1564. With very powerful telescopes this 

 nebula has been seen ring-shaped. 2 1146, otherwise known as 5 

 Navis, is a pretty double, colors pale yellow and blue, magnitudes 

 fifth and seventh, distance 3"25", p. 19. Our three-inch will suffice 

 for this. 



North of Canis Major and Argo we find Monoceros and Canis 

 Minor (map No. 3). The stars forming the western end of Mo- 

 noceros are depicted on map No. 1. We shall begin with these. 

 The most interesting and beautiful is 11, a fine triple star, mag- 

 nitudes fifth, sixth, and seventh, distances 7'4", p. 131, and 2" 7", p. 

 103. Sir William Herschel regarded this as one of the most 

 beautiful sights in the heavens. It is a good object to try our 

 three-inch on, although it should not be difficult for such an 

 aperture. The star 4 is also a triple, magnitudes sixth, tenth, 

 and eleventh, distances 3"4", p. 178, and 10", p. 244. We should 

 glance at the star 5 to admire its fine orange color. In 8 we find a 

 golden fifth-magnitude star, combined with a blue or lilac star of 

 the seventh magnitude, distance 13", p. 24. 2 938 is a difficult 

 double, magnitudes six and a half and twelve, distance 10", p. 210. 

 2 921 is double, magnitudes six and a half and eight, (Ustance 16", 

 p. 4. At the spot marked on the map 1424 we find an interesting 

 cluster containing one star of the sixth magnitude. 



The remaining stars of Monoceros will be found on map No. 3. 

 The double and triple stars to be noted are S, or 2 950 (which is 

 also a variable and involved in a faint nebula), magnitudes sixth 

 and ninth, distance 2"5", p. 206 ; 5 1183, double, magnitudes five 

 and a half and eight, distance 31", p. 326; 2 1190, triple, mag- 

 nitudes five and a half, tenth, and ninth, distances 31", p. 105, and 

 67", p. 244. The clusters are 1465, which has a minute triple star 

 near the center ; 1483, one member of whose swarm is ve\ ; 1611, 

 very small but rich ; and 1637, interesting for the great number 



