404 Oelestial Chemistry. 



belong. We have in these objects to do no longer 

 with a special modification only of our own type of suns, but 

 find ourselves in the presence of objects possessing a distinct 

 and peculiar plan of structure." 



' f In place of an incandescent solid or liquid body trans- 

 mitting light of all refrangibilities through an atmosphere 

 which intercepts by absorption a certain number of them, such 

 as our sun appears to be,, we must probably regard these 

 objects, or at least their photo-surfaces, as enormous masses 

 of luminous gas or vapour. For it is alone from matter in . 

 the gaseous state that light, consisting of certain definite 

 refrangibilities only, as is the case with the light of these 

 nebulae, is known to be emitted.-"* 



We think our readers cannot fail to endorse this conclusion, 

 and no one who has studied the subject and comprehends the 

 extreme beauty of the adaptations of spectroscopic apparatus 

 which are employed ; the delicacy and care with which the 

 observations were made, and the caution displayed in drawing 

 conclusions only when the evidence is irrefragable, but must 

 regard the discovery of such an analysis of the true nature 

 of these wonderful bodies as one of the noblest additions 

 to our knowledge which has recently been made. The 

 speculations to which the proved existence of bodies of such 

 enormous size, and consisting apparently of only three or four 

 elementary substances, will give rise, are, doubtless, numerous 

 and various in the extreme. It is singular that only one out 

 of several nitrogen lines is seen, but Mr. Huggins has some- 

 times observed a difference in sharpness between this and 

 some other bright nitrogen lines, which suggests differences 

 in the atoms radiating the light. Again, we find the stars 

 containing numerous elementary bodies, can it be possible 

 that in the process of condensation and cooling from the 

 enormously high temperature which the nebulas must possess, 

 that transmutation of the so-called elements may take place ? 

 Modern chemistry says <e No \" but there are occasional 

 indications that some of the so-called elementary bodies may 

 yet be decomposed, or proved to be different forms of others. 

 Time which has done so much will yet bring fresh wonders to 

 light, and the powers of spectrum analysis will be yet 

 further exerted in the elucidation of the problems of nature. 

 Enough for the present, that the well-matured speculations of 

 Herschel, and the mathematical theory of Laplace, have been 

 vindicated from the doubt under which they have been 



, points . 

 accepted as a proof of a nebula being a cluster of stare. 



