326 COSMOS. 



(as those in the sword of Orion, near 9 Argus, in Sagittarius 

 and in Cygnus), are remarkable for their extraordinary size; 

 others (as Nos. 27 and 51 of Messier' s Catalogue) for their 

 singular forms. 



It has already been noticed in reference to the large nebula 

 in the sword of Orion, that Galileo never mentioned it 

 although he devoted so much attention to the stars between 

 the girdle and the sword,* 1 and even sketched a map of this 

 region of the heavens. That which he names Nebulosa 

 Orionis, and delineates in the vicinity of Nebulosa Prcesepe, 

 he expressly declares to be an accumulation of small stars, 

 (stellarum constipatarum] in the head of Orion. In the drawing 

 which he gives in the Siderius Nuncius, 20, extending from 



tt " There can be no doubt," writes Dr. Galle, " that the 

 drawing" (Opere di Galilei, Padova, 1744, torn. ii. p. 14, 

 No. 20,) " which you gave me includes the girdle and sword 

 of Orion, and consequently also the star 0, but it is difficult, 

 owing to the striking inaccuracy of the drawing, to recognize 

 the three small stars in the sword (the middle one of which 

 is <9), and which appear to the unaided eye to be placed in a 

 straight line. I conjecture that you have correctly desig- 

 nated the star t, and that the bright star to the right and 

 below, or the one immediately above it, is 0." Galileo 

 expressly says, " In primo integram Orionis Constellationem 

 pingere decreveram : verum, ab ingenti stellarum copia, 

 temporis vero inopia obrutus, aggressionem hanc in aliam 

 occosionem distuli." Considering Galileo's observation of 

 the constellation of Orion, we are the more struck by the 

 circumstance that the 400 stars which he thought he had 

 counted between the girdle and the sword of Orion in a 

 space of ten square degrees (Nelli, Vita di Galilei, vol i. 

 p. 208), should subsequently (according to Lambert, Cos- 

 molog. Briefe, 1760, p. 155,) have led him to the erroneous 

 estimate of 1,650,000 stars for the whole firmament. (Struve, 

 Astr. stellaire, p. 14 and note 16.) 



