Gore — On Suspected Variable Sfar.s. 385 



]S"o. 556. a Lyr^ (Vega). — There is a suspicion of variability with 

 reference to a distant comes to this bright star. Its position is about 

 42°, and distance 139". In October, 1870, it was a magnitude fainter 

 than Herschel' swell known companion (Burnham 10-5 m : 154°-9 : 48", 

 1878). Smyth alludes to a star in the n.f. quadrant, which may be 

 the one in question. Variation has also been suspected in Herschel's 

 companion. It was measured by Dembowski in 1865 with a 7^ inch 

 refractor shortly after sunset, and rated by him 8"8 m. of Struve's 

 scale (about = 9|- Smyth). 



No. 557. Laxande 34746 AairrL^. — 7 m, Lalande. Not given by 

 Bessel or Santini {Nature, April 20, 1876). It is an orange star, and 

 No. 457 of Birmingham' s Catalogue of Red Stars. Bii*mingham rated 

 it 7-5. 



No. 558. e' and 6- Lyr^. — The well known quadruple (or multiple) 

 star. Struve suspected alternately variable light in the components of 

 €^, and Grover found the dehilissima of Herschel alternately variable 

 {Cel. Olj. p. 343). 



No. 559 - 29 Sagittarii (= 6399 B.A.C.). Not in Lalande'' s Cata- 

 logue ; not in Argelander' s Uranometria, but 5 m. in one of his zones ; 

 6-7 Heis ; 6 m. Behrmann ; 6 m. Franks, July 24, 1877. In the 

 Uranometria Argetitina it is incorrectly identified with Lalande 34915, 

 which lies about 1° to the north of it. The Cordoba estimates were 

 5-9 in 1871, and 5*4 and 5*5 in 1873. Dr. Gould says "the indica- 

 tions of variability are strong." 



No. 560. Birminghajj: 464 Aquil^. — Not in Zalande's Catalogue 

 or Harding's Atlas. Birmingham's estimates of magnitude, 1873-1876, 

 vaiy from 7 to 8 m. ; 9-5 Webb, 1873, September 22. 



No. 561. Lalande 35150 Serpentis. — 6m. Lalande; 6J Bessel; 

 6 m. Argelander and Heis; 5-9 DM ; 6-1 Gould (at Albany), and 6*6 

 at Cordoba. Dr. Gould suspects variation. 



No. 562. o- Sagittarii. — 3 m. Ptolemy and Sufi ; 2^ Lacaille ; 

 2-3, Argelander, Heis, and Behrmann: 2-41 Sir J. Herschel {Ca^e 

 Ohs., p. 440); 2-4 Gould; 2^ Cape Catalogue, 1880; 2-30 H.P. 



Smyth says {Bedford Catalogue, p. 435), " This star has been 

 placed among the variable ones, under a probability of its varying 

 from the 2nd to the 4th magnitudes ; but its low altitude might occa- 

 sion apparent changes. Ptolemv, Ulugh Beigh, Bradley, De Zaeh, 

 and Mayer have classed it 3 ; Flam steed 3 J ; Tycho Brahe and Heve- 

 lius 4 ; but Bode makes it 2 ; and Lacaille and Pigott 2-|-." 



In August, 1876, I found it (in the Punjab) about equal to c 

 Sagittarii (3-2 Heis), but less than A. Scorpii. Heis rates X Scorpii at 

 3 m. It is now about 2 m. (2 m. Behrmann). Heis' estimate, how- 

 ever, of 2-3 for cr Sagittarii is about right. 



