Royal Astronomical Society. 583 



To the astronomer who refers to stars by their catalogued places, 

 these inconveniences may not afford serious ground of complaint ; 

 since even in the southern hemisphere but few stars of the fifth mag- 

 nitude remain uncatalogued. Nor are the defects of the present 

 system felt by seamen, who have little to do with the constellations 

 beyond referring to a few well-known stars. But to those who em- 

 ploy themselves in the physical departments of practical astronomy, 

 such as variable stars, photometrical determinations, and other sub- 

 jects, and who require a perfect familiarity with the aspect of the 

 heavens, the present arbitrary and capricious allotment of the stars 

 renders reference to maps constantly necessary. And when the 

 leading stars in the map are not those which in the heavens catch 

 the eye by their brightness, it becomes necessary alternately to in- 

 spect the map by candlelight, and then to rush out into the dark- 

 ness, to compare the impression made on the memory with the vi- 

 sible aspect of the stars, to the loss of all delicacy of vision, and the 

 injury of the organ itself. 



The author had proposed to himself to follow out, in the southern 

 hemisphere, the plan adopted by the late Sir William Herschel, in 

 order to place on record the relative apparent magnitudes of the 

 stars at this epoch ; and it was while thus engaged that he became 

 impressed with the necessity of a total reformation of the ancient 

 system. 



In enumerating the qualities which a system of sidereal arrange- 

 ment should possess, the writer observes that the new subdivisions 

 should be of moderate extent, the figures easily traced, and the 

 groups such as naturally arrange themselves in distinct forms. 

 Again, the boundaries ought to be definite, so as to be transferred 

 from one map to another without variation ; they should accordingly 

 be arcs of great circles, or parallels to a great circle ; that is, circles 

 of right ascension and parallels of declination. The limits, thus 

 assumed, should correspond to a particular epoch, being reduced to 

 any other time, by the necessary tables, like stars. The advantages 

 of this system would be that each star would be at once referred to 

 its proper district ; that the observer, becoming familiar with the 

 limits, would know the time when each star approached his meri- 

 dian, as also the limits of altitude between which it would be com- 

 prised. 



After some remarks on the mode of carrying the proposed plan 

 into execution, the writer suggests : — 



1 . That the names of constellations should be such as not to be 

 easily confounded either when spoken or printed. 



2. Each name should be Latin, with a regular genitive case ; to 

 which the astronomers of different nations should conform, without 

 translating them into their own languages. 



3. In the names, low or homely associations, technicalities of 

 science, and national and political allusions, should be avoided. 



4. General names should be preferred, as Rex, Regina, Miles, 

 Sculptor, Poeta, &c. ; and they would be selected from mythology 

 and classical antiquity, as neutral ground. 



