8o HERSCHEL AND HIS WORK 



materials for this research as would enable him to fix 

 his observations upon those that would best answer 

 his end. The subject promises so rich a harvest that 

 he cannot help inviting every lover of astronomy to 

 join him in observations that must inevitably lead 

 to new discoveries. He took some pains to find out 

 what double stars had been recorded by astronomers ; 

 but " Nature, that great volume, appeared to him to 

 contain the best catalogue upon this occasion." 



The results of this search of the heavens appeared a 

 month later in a Catalogue of Double Stars. They 

 were "not only double stars, but also treble, double- 

 double, quadruple, double-treble, and multiple." And 

 he noticed, in a strangely prophetic vein of inspired 

 imagination, not shrined in the temple of fact for more 

 than twenty years after, " It is much too soon to form 

 any theories of small stars revolving round large ones." 

 Of 269 of the suns contained in this catalogue only 

 42 had been previously observed. While pursuing 

 researches so laborious and so delightful, he was 

 driven to devise ingenious improvements on the 

 micrometer, as the contrivance was called that is used 

 for measuring small spaces. But Herschel's thoughts 

 were turned into other channels in the summer of 

 1782. He was raising questions we are only getting 

 answers to now. 



While Herschel was thus rapidly rising into fame, 

 he was not forgetful of the sister who generously 

 sacrificed her own wishes and prospects as a singer 

 to advance his as an astronomer. During the time 

 she was free from her numerous engagements as the 

 thrifty housekeeper, the careful secretary and time- 

 keeper, the reviser and reducer of observations, she 



