Clusters and Nebulce. 385 



somewhat resembling the luminous Medusa pellucens. H. 

 calls it a most superb object; the stars, which he rates at 

 11 — 15 mag., form radiating lines and pointed projections from 

 the mass, with many stragglers ; and such was the power of 

 his 18J-inch mirror with front view, as to resolve it entirely, 

 iC when not a star near it, even Ardurus, was visible to the 

 naked eye for clouds." With a Oy^-inch achromatic aperture 

 I found it, though a beautiful object, hardly resolvable ; but its 

 recent aspect with a 9^-inch silvered speculum was different 

 indeed. There the resolution is carried very far, so that, not 

 having looked at the preceding descriptions, I did not notice 

 the blaze, and thought the increase of central density not 

 greater than would be produced by an equidistant arrange- 

 ment in a sphere, enclosed, however, as it would seem, by a 

 more sparse and irregular stratum on every side. But what 

 struck me most, in an independent observation, was the con- 

 trasted magnitudes of the stars ; two sizes at least were very 

 evident, perhaps 10 7 V and 12 or 13m. of Sm/s scale. And it 

 was not less certain that the arrangement of the larger stars 

 had no reference to central condensation ; they were sprinkled 

 alike through (or in front of) the mass and among the extreme 

 outliers. Their very aspect, as well as the concurring testi- 

 mony of H., would prove that the difference of magnitude was 

 a fact, and not, as he has stated in a case to be mentioned 

 hereafter, an illusion depending upon the concurrence of 

 several minute stars in the same visual line. The possessors 

 of powerful instruments may be interested in knowing that 2 

 or 3 m. (of R. A.) p is a small star, which Sm. and H. found 

 with the great reflector to be " a fine first-class double star." 



We must adopt a similar process of sweeping (if we cannot 

 point to R. A. xiih. 45m. D. N. 41° 50') about 2i° n a little 

 f } from Cor Caroli, to find 



42. Gen. Cat. 3258.— M. 94. Srn. describes it as large 

 and bright, brighter towards the middle, with evident symp- 

 toms of being a compressed cluster. H. calls it " a very 

 interesting object, being a nebula very suddenly much brighter 

 in the middle on a great scale," the nucleus being 10" or 15" 

 in diam. with a light equal to a 9 mag. star. It had glimpses 

 of stars, and was not resolved but resolvable. With my 3 T 7 T) - 

 inch aperture it was like a beautiful comet; a power of 212, 

 on 9 \ inches of silvered glass, led me to think it resolvable. 



Our next will be found thus : run a line from Arcturus 

 through 7] Bootis, the 4 mag. star nearly W. of it, bend it 

 gently upwards, and carry it rather more than twice as far 

 again ; it will fall upon another 4 mag. star, v Comas Berenicis ; 

 about 1° / a little n of this w r e shall get in the finder a misty 

 spot, which is 



vol. xi. — no. v. c c 



