Double Stars. 133 



DOUBLE STARS. 



We must now view the jewels in the hand of Bootes, which 

 he has been lifting up for so many centuries above the end of 

 the Great Bear's tail. 



A little way nf from t], Al Kccid or Benetnasch, the last star 

 of the tail, lie three small stars in a triangle, 6, i, and k Bootis, 

 of which the two next Al Kaid are nearest together. These 

 are t, s, and k, n. Each will repay the search. 



31. t Bootis. 37"*9. 33'*4. 4£ and 8. Light yellow and 

 dusky white, 1850*6! I thought the comes lilac about the same 

 time. Sestini made it azure, 1844*5. This pretty object, 

 which Struve thinks has a common proper motion, is rendered 

 more interesting by the fact that the Czar's great telescope at 

 Poulkowa, of 14f inches aperture, shows that the larger star is 

 very closely double, consisting of two equal components, with 

 a distance of only about 0"*3 ; so that we probably have a won- 

 derful triple system here. Smyth, as might be expected from 

 his inferior optical means, could, only detect a slight elongation. 

 A more beautiful object, however, is its neighbour — 



32. k Bootis. 12 "*7. 238°*1. 5£ and 8. Pale white and 

 bluish. No satisfactory evidence of movement. 



If we now carry a line from Alioth, s Ursce Majoris (the 5th 

 star in succession, beginning with the Pointers) , through our old 

 friend Mizar (No. 1), and pass it on through the before-mentioned 

 triangle forming the hand of Bootes, when it has reached nearly 

 as far again as the distance from Mizar to the hand, it will fall 

 upon a little close group, of which the brightest is — 



33. 44 Bootis. 2"*9. 233°*8 (1830-82). 4"*1. 236°*2 

 (1847*45). 5 and 6. There has been much difference of opi- 

 nion as to the colours. Smyth made them pale white and 

 lucid grey, 1842*58; yellow and cerulean blue, 1850*5; pale 

 yellow and dusky, 1856, which, he observes, agrees nearly with 

 Struve's subflava and subccerulea (1832*24) . On the other hand, 

 Sestini called them both orange, 1844*5 ; Fletcher, white and 

 yellow, 1851; Miller, both white, 1853; Dembowski, yellow 

 and ruddy orange or olive yellow, 1854, 1855 ; pale yellow and 

 pale orange, 1856. I thought them yellow and ruddy or pur- 

 plish, 1850*63, with an aperture of 3-^ inches. I regret to add 

 that the almost unbroken veil of cloud which has obscured our 

 summer skies, has, up to the present time, precluded me from 

 re-examining this, and other similar objects, with my present 

 much more powerful telescope. In another respect this is a 

 very interesting pair, as there can be no doubt of its binary 

 character, though as Smyth remarks, the case of its orbital 

 motion is " beset with difficulties.-''' It was so close in 1781 

 that it was recommended by Sir W. Herschel, together with 52 



VOL. II. NO. II. L 



