314 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



"Duplex Comes in eodum Yerticali, aclmodiim exigua et ad astrum." 

 He certainly could hardly have seen it double with his instrument, as 

 it is now ; but the acolyte may be variable. " "Webb missed the com- 

 panion. 



^0. 25. C Piscnni.— 4 m. Sufi ; 5 and 4^ Lalande (2187-8) ; 6 m. 

 Harding; 5-4 Heis; 4-8 Gould; 5^ Pranks, jS^ovember 23, 1877; 

 4-93 Pritchard (1882-609). A double star, 6, 8 : 63°-8 : 23"-4. Webb 

 says ( Cel. OhJ., p. 378), "6 var. up to 4 (?) " Smyth {Bedford Catalogue, 

 p. 32) says, "The large star maybe variable. Ptolemy called it 8 

 in lustre, and he is followed by Ulugh Beigh, Tycho Brahe, and 

 Hevelius." 5-01 and 4-9 HP. 



'Eo. 26. 37 Ceti.— 61 6m. Lalande (2220-1); 5-6 Heis; 5 

 Houzeau ; 5-3 Gould; 5 Franks, jSTovember 20, 1877 (44 = 6m.). 

 Sir W. Herschel found the sequence 25-37, 28. It was measured 

 5-1 with the heliometer by Johnson 1851. The Cordoba estimates 

 vary from 5"3 to 5 "7. I found it slightly brighter than 44 Ceti in 

 J^ovember, 1876. It is 6 m. in the Cape Catalogue (1878'91), and 

 5-02 HP. 



[N'o. 27. Lalande, 2416 Ceti. — A double star discovered by Sir 

 John Herschel in 1830, pos. 53°'0, dist. 2" (measures at Cincinnatti, 

 1876-78, give 26°-4 : 1"'64). Captain Jacob suspected variation in 

 both components, and rated the star 6-7 m. in 1857. It was esti- 

 mated only 9 m. by Ormond Stone, 1875. It is 6'7m. in the Urano- 

 metria Argentina. 



'^0. 28. t, Andromeda. — 5 m. Heis; 5 m. Pranks (= w), iN'ov. 

 25, 1877. One of Pigott's suspected variables. He says {Phil. 

 Trans., 1786), "This star is said to have diminished in brightness. 

 In 1784 and 1785 I found it, by very exact obsei-vations, less than v, 

 equal to w, and brighter than d and x ; yet I must mention that it is 

 marked in my journal as being sometimes brighter, and at other times 

 less than w ; but still I am not convinced that it varies in brightness." 

 Pierce measured it as 4-83 {Harvard College Annals, vol. ix.). 4-94 HP. 



^0. 29. DM 8", 215 Piscrrar.— In 1881 M. Tempel called attention 

 to the fact that, on January 31 of that year, he could not see this star, 

 but in its place there was a small and faiut nebula, the position of 

 which agreed well with that of the star in question. As on one other 

 occasion he has detected such a nebulous appearance in the case of a 

 star which wholly disappeared, and was afterwards agaia seen by 

 Goldschmidt, M. Tempel suggests that this may indicate the possibility 

 that DM 8°, 215, may again become visible {Science Observer, April 12, 

 1881). 



No. 30. 43 Ceti.— 6^ m Lalande (2484) ; 6 Harding, mtin^m' 

 Catalogue, 7*2 m, Purchmusterung. The Cordoba estimates vaiy from 

 6-6 to 7-3. 



