Saturn's Ring. — Double Stars. — Occultations. 433 



suspect variable light, saw tlie companion perfectly with the 

 great achromatic at Rome; and I have been informed by a 

 correspondent, that under very favourable atmospheric circum- 

 stances he has seen it distinctly with as small an aperture as 2f 

 inches. It is evidently not difficult from either minuteness or 

 closeness, but merely from its low elevation, and the blaze of 

 its superior : but should we fail to detect it, we shall assuredly 

 not regret a nearer acquaintance with so superb an object as 

 the great star — a fiery sun, the quality of whose light, so totally 

 dissimilar to that of ours, must, to our apprehension, induce an 

 equal disparity in the development of vegetable and animal life 

 in the system subjected to its influence. There are many other 

 instances of stars of an equally deep or even deeper red, but 

 they are for the most part only visible with the telescope, and 

 as Sir J. Herschel observes, are insulated. It will be peculiarly 

 interesting to ascertain whether Antares is physically or only 

 optically connected with its companion. 



12. /S Scorpii. 13"'l. 24 n *9. 2 and 5J. Yellowish white 

 and pale lilac. I fancied the smaller star greenish with Sc- 

 inches, 1850*46. This is a magnificent pair, though apparently 

 optical only. It is the brightest star n p a. 



13. a Scorpii. 20"*5. 271°*6. 4 and 9J. Dusky white and 

 plum-colour. Sestini called the companion white, 1846*5. 

 Easily found from Antares, which it precedes about 2°, a 

 little n. 



14. v Scorpii. 40". 3S8°-h.^ 4 and 7. Pale yellow and 

 dusky hue. This " charming object," as I have entered it, fol- 

 lows j3 at about 2° distance, a little n. Smyth records it as 

 above, but Jacob found, in 1847, that the small star has an 

 8 mag. companion, at a distance of 1"'75, which, though not 

 seen by Sir John Herschel at the Cape, is an easy object 

 with my 5i-inches, and renders the combination still more 

 beautiful. 



15. 51 Libra (alias £ Scorpii). 7"'2. 76°*1 (1834*42). 

 7". 68°'l (1846*49). 4| and 1\ . Bright white and grey. This 

 is a highly interesting object, being really triple, a 5 mag. star, 

 pale yellow, lying close to 4i. Smyth gives for it 1"*4, 6°'6 at 

 the earlier, 1", 24°*9 at the later epoch. Hence it is evident 

 that under the aspect of a single star we have a binary pair 

 before us in rapid motion. It is to be regretted that it is now 

 too close for ordinary telescopes. With 3 T 7 ¥ -inches of aperture, 

 its elongation was very doubtful as far back as 1851 ; Secchi 

 found it but 0"*463 in 1855 ; and if there is sufficient ground 

 for Theile's computations, the distance would be only 0"*018 in 

 I860, after which it would speedily widen, attaining- 1" in 1870. 

 He gives a period of 44 years, or 49 by including Herschel I/s 

 observation in 1782. Jacob prefers 52 years. The more dis- 



