146 PLEASANT WAYS IN SCIENCE. 



creation than these nebulous masses, which have been so 

 long regarded as equalling, if not outvying, the sidereal 

 system itself in extent ? 



The third point to which I wish to invite attention is the 

 way in which in many nebulae stars of considerable relative 

 brightness, and belonging obviously to the sidereal system, 

 are so associated with nebulous masses as to leave no doubt 

 whatever that these masses really cling around them. The 

 association is in many instances far too marked to be regarded 

 as the effect of accident 



Among other instances * may be cited the nebula round 

 the stars ^ and ? in Orion. In this object two remarkable 

 nebulous nodules centrally surround two double stars. 

 Admitting the association here to be real (and no other 

 explanation can reasonably be admitted), we are led to inte- 

 resting conclusions respecting the whole of that wonderful 

 nebulous region which surrounds the sword of Orion. We 

 are led to believe that the other nebula; in that region are 

 really associated with the fixed stars there ; that it is not a 

 mere coincidence, for instance, that the middle star in the 

 belt of Orion is involved in nebula, or that the lowest star 

 of the sword is similarly circumstanced. It is a legitimate 

 inference from the evidence that all the nebulae in this region 

 belong to one great nebulous group, which extends its 

 branches to these stars. As a mighty hand, this nebulous 

 region seems to gather the stars here into close association, 

 showing us, in a way there is no misinterpreting, that these 

 stars form one system. 



The nebula around the strange variable star, Eta Argus, 

 is another remarkable instance of this sort More than two 

 years ago I ventured to make two predictions about this 

 object The first was a tolerably safe one. I expressed my 

 belief that the nebula would be found to be gaseous. After 

 Mr. Muggins's discovery that the great Orion nebula is 

 gaseous, it was not difficult to see that the Argo nebula must 



* Eight pictures of nebulae were exhibited in illustration of this 

 peculiarity. 





