4? ROUGH WAYS MADE SMOOTH. 



lessor Watson's plan, whereas those unfamiliar with the 

 instrument, would not gain any insight into the nature of his 

 plan without much more explanatory matter than could be 

 conveniently given here, even if any explanation without 

 illustrations could make the matter clear. Let it suffice to 

 note that, having brought any star centrally into the tele- 

 scopic field of view, Professor Watson marked in pencil where 

 the ends of certain pointers came ; and that these marks 

 served to indicate, after the eclipse was over, the position of 

 the observed star. 



Thus provided, Professor Watson, so soon as totality 

 began, searched on the eastern side of the sun, and there 

 saw certain stars belonging to the constellation Cancer, 

 where the sun was situate at the time. He then examined 

 the western side of the sun, and having swept out to a star 

 which he took to be Zeta Cancri (though he was rather sur- 

 prised at its brightness, but of that more anon) he returned 

 towards the sun, encountering on his way a star of the 

 fourth magnitude or rather less, about two degrees to the 

 west of the sun. Close by was the star Theta Cancri ; but 

 Theta was much fainter, and was seen at the same time a 

 little further west. It is not easy to understand why Watson 

 did not make comparison between the position of the new 

 star and Theta, instead of making comparison between the 

 new star, the sun, and the star which he took to be Zeta. 

 For a comparison with a known object so close as Theta 

 would have given more satisfactory evidence than a com- 

 parison with objects farther away. However, as he distinctly 

 states in a letter to Sir G. Airy that the new star was very 

 much brighter than Theta Cancri, which was seen a little 

 farther to the west, we cannot doubt that he had sufficient 

 evidence to prove the new star and Theta Cancri to be dis- 

 tinct orbs. 



He adds that there was no appearance of elongation, 

 as might be expected if the new object were a Cornet. It 

 had a perceptible disc, though the magnifying power was 

 only forty -five. 



