

STAR-GROUPING, STAR-DRIFT, AND STAR-MIST. 147 



be so too. At any rate, this has beten established by 

 Captain HerschePs spectroscopic researches. The other 

 prediction was more venturesome. Sir John Herschel, 

 whose opinion on such points one would always prefer to 

 share, had expressed his belief that the nebula lies far out in 

 space beyond the stars seen in the same field of view. I 

 ventured to express the opinion that those stars are involved 

 in the nebula. Lately there came news from Australia that 

 Mr. Le Sueur, with the great reflector erected at Melbourne, 

 has found that the nebula has changed largely in shape 

 since Sir John Herschel observed it. Mr. Le Sueur accord- 

 ingly expressed his belief that the nebula lies nearer to us 

 than the fixed stars seen in the same field of view. More 

 lately, however, he has found that the star Eta Argus is 

 shining with the light of burning hydrogen, and he expresses 

 his belief that the star has consumed the nebulous matter 

 near it Without agreeing with this view, I recognize in it a 

 proof that Mr. Le Sueur now considers the nebula to be 

 really associated with the stars around it My belief is that 

 as the star recovers its brilliancy observation will show that 

 the nebula in its immediate neighbourhood becomes brighter 

 (not fainter through being consumed as fuel). In fact, I am 

 disposed to regard the variations of the nebula as systematic, 

 and due to orbital motions among its various portions around 

 neighbouring stars. 



As indicative of other laws of association bearing on the 

 relations I have been dealing with, I may mention the cir- 

 cumstance that red stars and variable stars affect the neigh- 

 bourhood of the Milky Way or of well-marked star-streams. 

 The constellation Orion is singularly rich in objects of this 

 class. It is here that the strange " variable " Betelgeux lies. 

 At present this star shows no sign of variation, but a few 

 years ago it exhibited remarkable changes. One is invited 

 to believe that the star may have been carried by its proper 

 motion into regions where there is a more uniform distribution 

 of the material whence this orb recmits its fires. It may be 

 that in the consideration of such causes of variation affecting 



