NEW AND VARIABLE STARS. 173 



notmced this star to be of the eightfi magnitude. On the 

 evening of June 4th, 1850, the writer made a careful sur- 

 vey of all the stars in this vicinity, and found only one 

 which could be estimated as high as the tenth magnitude, 

 and this had no very decided red color. Hind's star may 

 therefore now be pronounced extinct. 



Hind's star was not many degrees distant from the 

 place where a new star was seen in 1604. This star was 

 first announced on the 10th of October, and it was seen by 

 Kepler on the 17th. The star was perfectly round, with- 

 out nebulosity or tail ; its light was brighter and more un- 

 steady than that of the other stars. After it had risen above 

 the vapors of the horizon, its light was white. It not only 

 surpassed stars of the first magnitude, but also Mars and 

 Jupiter. Some even compared it to Yenus, but Kepler 

 was not of this opinion. Observations proved that it had 

 no motion or sensible parallax. On the 9th of November 

 it was seen in a twilight which rendered Jupiter invisible. 

 On the Itfth, Kepler saw it for the last time, before its 

 conjunction with the sun. On the 24th of December, it 

 reappeared in the east with diminished brightness. It 

 was still brighter than Antares, but inferior to Arcturus. 

 On the 20th of March it appeared smaller than Saturn ; but 

 it was much larger than the 'stars of the third magnitude 

 in Ophiuchus. On the 13th of September it was smaller 

 than the third magnitude, and on the 8th of October it 

 could be seen with difficulty. A few days later it disap- 

 peared in the sun's rays. In January and February some 

 observers thought they saw this star again, but without 



