54 



Double Stars. 



any trace of the ansse might still be perceptible ; they had, 

 however, entirely vanished, leaving only a narrow black band, 

 where the ring presented its unenlightened side to the eye. 

 On this band I instantly perceived a spot, which a moment's 

 reflection convinced me must be the shadow of Titan, then 

 preceding at a short distance the N. pole of Saturn ; at first I 

 imagined that it projected on each side, like a knot in a black 

 thread ; but a little consideration — especially as at the time 

 I had a mistaken impression as to the breadth of the ring — 

 showed that this would give it an exorbitant magnitude, and I 

 speedily satisfied myself, as far as the light of 5f inches of 

 aperture, and an atmosphere not particularly favourable, would 

 permit, that it stood out only from the N. edge, along which 

 I watched its progress from about ± to -j of its path across the 

 ball. Four satellites were unquestionably visible ; it was 

 doubtful whether a small object at a short distance sp, was 

 Japetus, or a star ; probably the latter. Two belts were readily 

 made out. The following diagram will give a general idea of 

 the phenomenon, but it will be borne in mind that it has no 

 pretension to accuracy. 



The unexpected size of the shadow on April 15th was 



noticed by Dawes, and it is very 

 singular that this strange ano- 

 maly, detected some time back 

 in the system of Jupiter (see 

 Intellectual Observer, No. III. 

 p. 232), should thus seem to be 

 repeated in that of Saturn. The 

 same observer was highly suc- 

 cessful in watching the transit of 

 May 17th, and on the 25th he 

 was probably the first to witness an immersion of Titan into 

 the shadow of Saturn. 



The subsequent transits on June 2nd and 1 8th were invi- 

 sible from the state of the atmosphere, at least in many places, 

 and I am not aware that any account of them has appeared. 



DOUBLE STAES. 



The evenings are now beginning to close in, and our time 

 for study is proportionally extending. Wega, the lovely gem 

 of the zenith, must be postponed, from her inconvenient eleva- 

 tion; but we shall use her as a pointer to other objects. We 

 will draw a long line from Arcturus, our pointer of last month, 

 towards the E., sloping somewhat downwards, and a shorter 

 line from Wega to the S., tending towards the W. These two 

 lines will intersect each other at right angles near a 2nd mag. 



