256 Mr, Herscviel on the 



hundreds of nebulae which are to be feen in what I hn.ve called 

 : the nebulous flratum of Coma Berenices. It appears from the 

 extended and branching figure of our nebula, that there is room 

 for the decompofed fmail nebula of a large, reduced, former 

 great one to approach nearer to us in the fides than in other 

 parts. Nay, pofiibly, there might originally be another very- 

 large joining branch, which in time became feparated by the 

 condenfation of the ftars ; and this may be the reafon of the 

 ! little remaining breadth of our fyftem in that very place: for 

 . the nebulae of the ftratum of the Coma are brightcfh and mofi: 

 crowded juft oppofite our fituation, or in the pole of our fyflem. 

 As foon as this idea was fuggefted, I tried alfo the oppofite pole, 

 where accordingly I have met with a great number of nebula, 

 1 though under a much more fcattered form. 



* 



jtin'Opening in the heavens, 



^ Some, parts of our fyftem indeed feem already to have fuf- 



"tained greater ravages of time than others, if this way of ex- 



prefling myfelf may be allowed ; for inftance, in the body of 



the Scorpion is an opening, or hole, which is probably owing to 



this caufe. 1 found it while I was gaging in the parallel from 



112 to 114 degrees of north polar diftance. As I approached 



the milky way, the gages had been gradually running up from 



9,7 to 17,1 ; when, all of a fudden, they fell down to nothing, 



a very few pretty large ftars excepted, which made them Ihew 



0,5, 0,7, 1,1, 1,4, 1,8; after which they again rofe to 4,7, 



13,5, 20,3, and foon after to 41,'T. This opening is at leaft 



4 degrees broad, but its height I have not yet afcertained. It 



.is remarkable, that the 80 Nebuleufe fans eto'iks of the Con^ 



mo'ijance des Tewps, which is one of the richeft and mofl com- 



prefTed 



