Double Stars. 139 



created these things, that bringeth out their host by number : 

 He calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for 

 that He is strong in power, not one faileth." (Isaiah xl. 26.) 



The next object in the district follows, a little s, looking 

 nebulous in the finder. It is — 



17. 46 M (Argus). Described by Smyth as a noble assem- 

 blage of stars from 8 to 13 mag. This very beautiful cluster, 

 of which the average seems about 10 mag., is nearly 30' in 

 diameter, and requires a large field. I have not succeeded in 

 detecting a planetary nebula, which Smyth calls extremely 

 faint, among the larger stars on its N. verge. 



The star mentioned as standing sp from this cluster in the 

 finder is of a fine orange colour. While examining this, or the 

 previously-mentioned fiery star p 38 i^ VIII, with a power of 

 64, Feb. 8, 1864, I found it so doubled for a few seconds by 

 irregular refraction, that at the moment I believed it really was 

 a close pair. (See Int. Obs., October, 1863, p. 194, for a de- 

 tailed account of a similar illusion.) 



The last object in this interesting region, a wide double star 

 in the finder, is referred to the continuation of our Double 

 Star List. 



In the Intellectual Observer for May, 1862, at p. 277, 

 are directions for finding the head of Hydra. Between this 

 region and the one which we have just been exploring, but nearer 

 to the former, and bearing a little to the S., is a star, the most 

 conspicuous in its neighbourhood, which the finder represents 

 as three in a line. From the absurdly perplexing way in 

 which the outlines of the constellations have been arranged, 

 the central and brightest star is given as 30 Monocerotis, while 

 it is flanked by 1 and 2 Hydros. We have, however, nothing 

 to do with this ill-named group, excepting as a pointer to a 

 cluster which lies f, a little s, at a distance of about 3°, and 

 which is so extensive that it will be easily recognized as a 

 faint cloud in the finder. Its synonym is — 



18. 22 Iji VI (Monocerotis). Smyth has termed this a 

 splendid group in a rich region containing several small pairs. 

 Its components, chiefly about 8 mag., are condensed in the 

 centre into a lengthened patch of an irregular triangular or 

 arrow-headed form. H., whose No. 496 it is, says that tho 

 stars arc from the 9*10 to the 13 mag., and none below ; " but 

 the whole ground of the sky on which it stands is singularly 

 dotted over with infinitely minute points ;" invisible, of course, 

 in any ordinary telescope. 



DOUBLE STARS. 



Our researches among the nebulao enable us to add two 

 more pairs to our list. The first is mentioned under No. 1 7 



