310 Proceedings of the British Association. 



Revision of the Nomenclature of the Stars. — Report of a com- 

 mittee appointed in 1838, consisting of Sir J. Herschel, and 

 Messrs. Whewell and Baily. The revision of the northern hem- 

 isphere and the constellations visible in Europe, has been con- 

 tinued by Mr. Baily, by carefully tracing the just and most au- 

 thentic limits of the existing and recognized constellations, and 

 by a careful examination of the several stars, in the course of 

 which many singular instances of confusion and error in naming 

 and placing have been detected. This process, which involves 

 an investigation of the history of each star, and of the designa- 

 tions it has received from each of its observers, and in the several 

 catalogues in which it occurs, is nearly complete, and may be 

 considered as clearing the ground for a systematic nomenclature 

 of the northern stars, as well as for an effective table of syno- 

 nyms of each star. In the southern hemisphere, or rather in 

 those constellations which are visible only to an observer in that 

 hemisphere. Sir John Herschel has continued, and nearly com- 

 pleted, a chart of those stars ojily, and of all those stars which are 

 distinctly visible to the naked eye in a clear night ; in which 

 chart each star is represented of its true magnitude, according to a 

 scale, in which the total interval from the stars of the first mag- 

 nitude, to the lowest inserted, in place of six degrees, is made to 

 consist of eighteen, so as to subdivide each magnitude into three. 

 The final assignment of these magnitudes, resting on the collation 

 and inter-comparison of an extensive series of observations, made 

 for that express purpose with the naked eye, occasionally assist- 

 ed by a common opera glass, has been a work of much time and 

 labor, and is not yet quite completed. Nor till this is accom- 

 plished, can any further progress be made in the arrangement of 

 the southern constellations, which at present are in a state of 

 great confusion. A small part only of the grant of £50, has 

 been expended, but the whole, will, no doubt, be required ; and 

 your committee therefore recommend its continuance. — Signed 

 for the Committee, J. F. W. Herschel. 



0)1 the Reduction of the stars in LacailWs Caelum Australe 

 Stelliferum., the committee report, that the reductions of all the 

 stars are finished ; and Mr. Henderson's assistant is at present 

 arranging the results in the form of a catalogue, which however, 

 could not be completed in time for this meeting. The comple- 

 ted portion, so far as finished, has been transmitted to Mr. Baily, 



