ASTRONOMY. 



him upon composing a catalogue of the 

 fixed stars, that by it posterity might 

 learn whether any of the stars perish, and 

 others are produced afresh. After seve- 

 ral ages, another new star appeared to 

 Tycho Brahe, and the astronomers who 

 were contemporary with him ; which put 

 him on the same design with Hipparchus, 

 namely, the making a catalogue of the 

 fixed stars. Of this, and other stars, 

 which have appeared since that time, we 

 have the following history by Dr. Halley. 

 " The first new star in the chair of Cassi- 

 opeia was not seen by Cornelius Gemma 

 on the 8th of November, 1572, who says, 

 he, that night, considered that part of the 

 heaven in a very serene sky, and saw it 

 not ; but that the next night, November 

 9, it appeared, with a splendour surpassing 

 all the fixed stars, and scarce less bright 

 than Venus. This was not seen by Ty- 

 cho Brahe before the llth of the same 

 month ; but from thence he assures us 

 that it gradually decreased and died away; 

 so as in March, 1574, after sixteen months, 

 to be no longer visible ; and at this day 

 no signs of it remain. Its place in the 

 sphere of fixed stars, by the accurate ob- 

 servations of the same'Tycho. was 9 

 17' a lm* * <Y>, with 30 45' north latitude. 

 Such another star was seen, and observ- 

 ed, by the scholars of Kepler, to begin 

 to appear on September 30, St. Vet. 

 anno 1604, which was not to be seen the 

 day before ; but it broke out at once, with 

 a lustre surpassing that of Jupiter, and 

 like the former., it died away gradually, 

 and in much about the same time disap- 

 peared totally, there remaining no foot- 

 steps thereof in January, 1605-6. This 

 was near the ecliptic, following the right 

 leg of Serpentarius ; and by the observa- 

 tions of Kepler, and others, was in 7* 28 

 00' a l a * T, with north latitude 1 56'. 

 These two seem to be of a distinct spe- 

 cies from the rest, and nothing like them 

 has appeared since. But between them, 

 viz. in the year 1596, we have the first ac- 

 count of the wonderful star in Collo Ceti, 

 seen by David Fabricius on the 14th of 

 August, as bright as a star of the third 

 magnitude, which has been since found 

 to appear and disappear periodically ; its 

 period being precisely enough seven re- 

 vol itions in six years, though it returns 

 not always wi'h the same lustre. Nor is it 

 ever totally extinguished, but may at all 

 times be seen with a six feet tube. This 

 was singular in its kind, till that in Collo 

 Cygni was discovered. Tt precedes the 

 first star of Aries 1 40', with 15 57' 

 south latitude. Another new star was 



first discovered by William Jansonius in 

 the year 1600, in Pectort or rather in 

 Eductione Colli Cygni, which exceeded 

 not the third magnitude. This, havinff 

 continued some years, became at length 

 so small, as to be thought by some to 

 have disappeared entirely ; but in the 

 years 1657, 1658, and 1659, it again arose 

 to the third magnitude ; though soon af- 

 ter it decayed by degrees to the fifth or 

 sixth magnitude, and at this day is to be 

 seen as such in 9* 18 38' a 1 * f , with 

 55 29' north latitude. A fifth new star 

 was first seen by Hevelius in the year 

 1670, on July 15, St. Vet. as a star of the 

 third magnitude ; but by the beginning of 

 October was scarce to be perceived by the 

 naked eye. In April following it was again 

 as bright as before, or rather greater than 

 of the third magnitude, yet wholly disap- 

 peared about the middle of August. 

 The next year, in March, 1672, it was 

 seen again, but not exceeding the sixth 

 magnitude ; since when it has been no 

 further visible, though we have frequently- 

 sought for its return; its place is 9*3 

 17' a Jm * cy^ anc i ] las ] at> north 470 28 '. 



The sixth and last is that discovered by 

 Mr. G. Kirch in the year 1686, and its pe- 

 riod determined to be of 4U4J days ; and 

 though it rarely exceeds the fifth magni- 

 tude, yet is very regular in its returns, as 

 we found in the year 1714. Since thea 

 we have watched, as the absence of the 

 moon and clearness of the weather would 

 permit, to watch the first beginning of 

 its appearance in a six feet tube, that, 

 bearing a very great aperture, discovers 

 most minute stars. And on June 15 last, 

 it was first perceived like one of the very- 

 least telescopical stars ; but in the rest of 

 that month and July, it gradually increas- 

 ed, so as to become in August visible to 

 the naked eye, and so continued till the 

 month of September. After that, it again 

 died away by degrees ; and, on the 8th of 

 December, at night, was scarcely discern- 

 ible by the tube ; and, as near as could be 

 guessed, equal to what it was at its first 

 appearance on June 25, so that this year 

 it has been seen in all near six months, 

 which is but little less than half its pe- 

 riod ; and the middle, and consequently 

 the greatest brightness, falls about the 

 10th of September." 



The late improvements in astronomy, 

 and particularly those in the construct"! on 

 of telescopes, have now given astrono- 

 mers an opportunity of observing the 

 changes which take, place among the 

 stars with much greater accuracy than 

 could be formerly done. Ina paper in the 



