Nebula. 287 



the Copenhagen telescope. Of these 11 or 13 are new. On 

 his No. 1— E. A. 8° 2' {not 8h. 2m) D. N. 0° 2', both equally 

 bright, p Ion gish, f round, distant 3', he remarks, ""What 

 has been observed in this place by W. and J. Herschel and 

 by Bond, cannot be brought into sufficient accordance either 

 with one another, or with the existing sky. It is triple." 

 He thinks proper motion possible in 2 members of a triple 

 group; E. A. 137° 50', D. K 34° 19'.— 113 $. I. H. 581. 

 (These, however, are not identical in Gen. Cat. — 582 may be 

 meant, but the locality is very puzzling.) 



The interesting question of Variable Light still continues 

 to attract attention, as well it may. Of the 3 supposed variable 

 nebulas in Taurus, we have recently heard very little. Hind's 

 was just caught with Mr. Gurney Barclay's 10 inch achromatic 

 at Leyton, in the winter of 1863-4. I am inclined to think 

 that the nebula in the Pleiades (No. 6 of our list) is fainter 

 than it was in 1863-4. In looking for it with 5*5 inches of 

 aperture, on a transparent night, 1866, Feb. 12, I could 

 scarcely perceive it with a power of 30 or 65, while the eye 

 was in in its usual position, or turned sideways to the left, but 

 when twisted sideways to the right, in one of those contortions 

 to which the possessors of achromatics are occasionally sub- 

 jected, I saw its/ border — or thought I saw it — distinctly cross- 

 ing the field of 65, just like the edge of a faint comet's tail. 

 Possibly it may be found that a varied position of the eye may 

 be of use in detecting extremely faint phenomena. The lovers 

 of scenery well know how curious and beautiful an effect is 

 produced upon a landscape by viewing it with the head inclined 

 to one side. 



D'Arrest had previously remarked how singular it was that 

 3 variable nebulge should be found only 9° and 8° respectively • 

 apart, and in a portion of the sky where nebulas are rare ; all of 

 them becoming invisible, or nearly so, about the same time. 

 Contrary to his idea that the list of such objects was nearly 

 exhausted, a fourth has since been added to it, and, strange to 

 say, in the same region. In April, 1863, Chacornac perceived 

 a nebula a few minutes of arc distant from t, Tauri ; in Sept. 

 it had become invisible in the achromatic at Copenhagen. 

 And now that the fact of variation may be considered estab- 

 lished, and does not rest upon a solitary or doubted instance, 

 older observations and drawings, as our authority remarks, 

 acquire an importance which would by no means have been 

 accorded to them a few years ago. Other suspicious cases 

 have been mentioned. Schmidt, at Athens, had recorded, in 

 1864, 4 nebulas surrounding M. 49 (G. C. 3021, E. A. 12h. 

 22m. 39s. N. P. D. 81° 13' 44"). They were extremely small 

 and faint, even in his lovely sky. This, unfortunately, is no 



