ConfiruSlwn of the Heavens, 2^j 



prefled cluHers of fmall ftars I remember to have feen, is 

 {ituated juft on the weftern border of it, and would ahnoft au- 

 thorife a fufpiclon that the liars, of which it is compofed, were 

 collected from that place, and had left the vacancy. What adds 

 not a little to this furmife is, that the fame pha?nomcnon is 

 once more repeated \vith the fourth clufter of ftars of the 

 Connoijfance dcs Temps ; which is alfo on the weftern border of 

 another vacancy, and has moreover a fmall, miniature clufter, 

 or eafily refolvable nebula of about 2| minutes in diameter, 

 north following it, at no very great diftance. 



Phenomena at the Poles of our Nebula, 



* 



I ought to obferve, that there is a remarkable purity or clear- 

 nefs in the heavens when we look out of our flratum at the 

 fides; that is, towards Leo, Virgo, and Coma Berenices, on one 

 hand, and towards Cetus on the other ; whereas the ground 

 of the heavens becomes troubled as we approach towards the 

 length or height of it. It was a good while before I could 

 trace the caufe of thefe ph^enomena ; but (ince I have beeii 

 acquainted with the fhape of our fyftem, it is plain that thefe 

 troubled appearances, when vv^e approach to the fides, are eafily 

 to be explained by afcribing them to fome of the diilant, flrag- 

 gling ftars, that yield hardly light enough to be difl:inguiOied. 

 And 1 have, indeed, often experienced this to be a£lually the 

 caufe, by examining thefe troubled fpots for a long w^iile toge- 

 ther, when, at laft, I generally perceived the flars which occa- 

 fioned them. But when we look towards the poles of our 

 fyflem, where the vifual ray does not graze along the fide, the 



Vol. LXXV. L i flragglin 



g 



