54 Re/ult of the Ohfcrvalions 



impoffible to detach it by foftening it. This hard mafs is 

 form<Kl, in a great meafure, by the lime cryftallizecl in a 

 cftnfufed manner ; which it is more difficult to dilute in the 

 vaier than the fame earth in powder, or very mvich divided. 



XII. Tlefultof the Ohfervat'wns of the, 7iew Slar, difcovered 

 on the jji of January i8oi, at the Royal Olferi'alory of 

 Palenno. ^ Joseph PiAZZi, Direiior of the Obfewa- 

 iory*. 



I. JLJ-AVING been engaged for nine years in verifying the 

 pofitions of the ftars as colltfted in the catalogues of va- 

 rious aftronomers, I was fearching, on the ift of January 

 l8oi, among many others, for the 87th in the catalogue of 

 the zodiacal liars of the abbe De la Caille, when I obfen'ed 

 that this fiar vi'as preceded by another, udiich, according to 

 my ufual cuftom, I wiflied to obferve alfo, efpecially as it did 

 not interrupt the principal obfervalion. Its light was fome- 

 what fault, and in colour refembled that of Jupiter, but likp 

 that of many others which in regard to their magnitude are 

 nfually placed in the eighth clafs. At that time no doubt 

 arofe in regard to the nature of it; but on the evening of 

 the 2d, having repeated my obfervations, and finding that 

 they did not correfpond either in time or zenith diltance, 

 I fufpecSted that fome error had been committed in my ob- 

 fervations on the preceding day. I then began to entertain 

 fome idea that it might perhaps be a new ilar. In the even- 

 ing of the 3d my conjefture was confirmed, ;is I allured my- 

 felf tljatit was not a fixed ftar. Hort-ever, before I would 

 fpeak of it, I waited till the evening of the 4th, on which I 

 had the fatisfaftion of finding that it had moved according 

 to the fame laws which it had obferved on the preceding 

 dayji. From the 4th to the loth the fky was ovcrcaft : on 

 the evening of the 10th it appeared to me in the telcfcope, 

 aocompanicd by four others nearly of the fame magnitude. 

 Being flill uncertain in regard to the nature of the new ftar, 

 i obiervcd them all ap well as poflible, and, comparing thefe 

 obftrvations with others which I made on the evening of 

 the nth, I eafijy diftinguifiied the ne>v one from the relt bv 

 its moti»)n. I was, however, exceedingly anxious to fee it 

 when not on the meridian, and therefore employed myfelf 



• From Rififllali dellc OJcy'va%iom delta nuova SleUa f,:operla il de" 

 i Ofnhajo all' Oipi "vaicrio Kca/i di Palermo da Gi"f'pl>e Piui.%i, Ch, Rc^' 

 DitfUort dti vudjimo. 



in 



