Double Stars. 139 



sibly shine by reflected light ; but the discovery of planetary 

 systems in the starry heavens, though perhaps just waiting, as 

 it were, at the door, has not yet broken upon us. No relative 

 motion has hitherto been perceived in this grand object, which is 

 double even to the naked eye, the finest of the few thus visible in 

 the whole heavens. The components are, in fact, one-fifth of the 

 Moon's diameter asunder, though they appear much closer ;— 

 an instance of the little dependance to be placed upon eye- 

 estimates of distance when the objects compared are of dissimi- 

 lar kiuds. This leader of Capricornus is easily found, being the 

 uppermost of two 3 mag. stars not far apart, and in a line slop- 

 ing downwards a little to the left, coming to the meridian after 

 Al Tair, but much lower in the sky, not higher than the 

 February Sun, about 9h. p.m., during the second week in 

 September. 



OCCULTATIONS. 



The following may be observed during the month : — Sep- 

 tember 2nd, 4 Sagittarii, 5 mag. immerges at 6h. 33m., 

 emerges at 7h. 48m ; 3rd, o Sagittarii, 4 mag., is occulted from 

 8h. 28h. to 9m. 41m.; nr Sagittarii, 3 mag., from llh. 46m. to 

 I2h. 5m. ; 5th, 9 Aquarii, 6 mag., from lOh. 9m. to l.Oh. 27m.; 

 8th, 16 Piscium, 6 mag., from 9h. 59m. to llh. 11m.; 30th, 

 28 Sagittarii, 6 mag., from 6h. 45m. to 7h. 38m. ; 30 Sagittarii, 

 6 mag., from 9h. 18m. to 9h. 38m.; 31 Sagittarii, 6 mag., 

 from 9h. 42m. to lOh. 38m. 



THE COMET. 



This beautiful and tolerably conspicuous visitant, the second 

 of the current year (whence in astronomical language it will be 

 called Comet II. 1862), was discovered at Florence by MM. 

 Pacinotho and Toussaint, July 22 ; after which date it gradually 

 increased in visibility during its approach to both the Earth and 

 Sun ; its perihelion passage occurring on August 23, and its 

 perigee, or closest proximity to the Earth, seven days later, its 

 distance from us being then 32^ millions of miles, about one- 

 third that of our distance from the Sun. Its subsequent course 

 declines rapidly southwards through the N. part of Bootes,, 

 Corona Borealis, and Serpens, crossing the equator on Septem- 

 ber 5th, to disappear shortly afterwards beneath the W.S.W. 

 horizon. It will therefore have already diminished before these 

 pages can reach our readers, and they must lose no opportunity 

 of studying its aspect, which at the present time (August 22) 

 presents some interesting features, though nothing comparable 

 to the fuller development of Donati's Comet, or the great one 

 of July 1861; as far, however, as the "sector" adjacent to 



