206 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 17 16. 



very near stars environed with a very large transparent bright spot, through 

 which they appear with several others. These are curiously described by 

 Hugenius, in his Systema Saturnium, p. 8, who there calls this brightness 

 portentum, cui certe simile aliud nusquam apud reliquas fixas potuit animad- 

 vertere: affirming that he found it by chance in the year 1656. The middle 

 of this is at present in H 19° 00, with 28|-° south lat. 



About the year 1661, another of this sort was discovered, if I mistake not, 

 by BuUialdus, in Cingulo Andromedae. This is neither in Tycho nor Bayer, 

 having been omitted, as are many others, because of its smallness : but it is in- 

 serted into the catalogue of Hevelius, who has improperly called it Nebulosa 

 instead of Nebula; it has no sign of a star in it, but appears like a pale cloud, 

 and seems to emit a radiant beam into the north east, as that in Orion does into 

 the south east. It precedes in right ascension the northern in the girdle, or 

 u Bayero, about a degree and three quarters, and has longitude at this time 

 X 24°, with lat. north 334-°. 



The 3d is near the ecliptic, between the head and bow of Sagittary, not far 

 from the point of the winter solstice. This it seems was found in the year 

 1665, by a German gentleman, M. J. Abraham Ihle, while he attended the 

 motion of Saturn then near his aphelion. This is small but very luminous, and 

 emits a ray like the former. Its place at this time is VJ 4-^°, with about half a 

 degree south latitude. 



A 4th was found by M. Edm. Halley, in the year l677> when he was making 

 the catalogue of the southern stars. It is in the Centaur, that which Ptolemy 

 calls 6 £7rt T8 vuTH £K(pii(r£w?, which he names in dorso Equino Nebula, and is 

 Bayer's u : it is in appearance between the 4th and 5th magnitude, and emits 

 but a small light for its breadth, and is without a radiant beam ; this never rises 

 in England, but at this time its place is nx 5^-°, with 354-° south latitude. 



A 5th was discovered by Mr. G. Kirch, in the year 168I, preceding the right 

 foot of Antinous : it is of itself but a small obscure spot, but has a star that 

 shines through it, which makes it the more luminous. The longitude of this 

 is at present VJ* 9° circiter, with 17^° north latitude. 



The 6th and last was accidentally hit upon by M. Edm. Halley, in the con- 

 stellation of Hercules, in the year J 7 14. It is nearly in a right line with ^and 

 » of Bayer, somewhat nearer to ^ than n : and by comparing its situation among 

 the stars, its place is sufficiently near in Vi[ 26^°, with 57* north latitude. This 

 is but a small patch, but it shows itself to the naked eye when the sky is serene, 

 and the moon absent. 



There are undoubtedly more of these, which have not yet come to our 

 knowledge, and some perhaps larger; but though all these spots are in appear- 



