Clusters and Nebulce. 461 



our colonial friends to become better acquainted with the 

 wonders of their peculiar sky. Our readers at home will 

 readily forgive an occasional addition of this kind to our 

 previous plan, both as respects clusters and nebulas, and 

 double stars, especially as it is from description alone that the 

 majority of them can ever acquire any idea of the riches of a 

 part of the heavens which never rises in these latitudes ; and 

 to those once familiarized by personal observation with a class 

 of objects, the verbal account of others of a similar character 

 is neither uninstructive nor uninteresting. These southern 

 additions will be indicated by Eoman instead of Arabic 

 numerals in our lists. We begin, then, with 



(i.) The Great Globular Cluster, co Centauri. Gren. Cat. 

 3531. E.A. xiii. h. 18m. D.S. 46° 35'. Of this H. says, that 

 it is beyond all comparison the richest and largest object of 

 the kind in the heavens. Its diameter (in his 18^ inch mirror) 

 is full 20', or f that of the moon : the stars are literally in- 

 numerable, and there must be thousands of them, for it is 

 very conspicuous to the naked eye as a dim cometic-looking 

 star of 4f to 5 mag. ; but as the total area is very considerable 

 (not less than a quarter of a square degree), the same quantity 

 of light concentred in a single point would very probably 

 exceed that of a 3 mag. star. The whole mass, which is 

 by gentlest degrees much brighter in the middle, is clearly 

 resolved into stars ; these, on a general view, appeared sin- 

 gularly equal, and distributed with the most exact equality, 

 the condensation being that of a sphere equally filled. On 

 more attentive looking*, however, he perceived that there were 

 two sizes among them, 12 and 13 mag., without greater or 

 less, and that the larger stars formed rings like lace-work over 

 the mass. One of these rings, 1 J' in diameter, was so marked 

 as to give the appearance of comparative darkness in the centre, 

 like an oval hole divided into a double opening by a bridge 

 of stars. "Altogether/' as H. concludes his description, 

 "this object is truly astonishing ;" and his figure well cor- 

 responds with these words. It is to be regretted that from 

 its position, though it is above the horizon of Spain, Italy, or 

 Greece, it does not attain a meridian altitude of 10° till we 

 reach the latitude of Damascus. Beyond this limit, however, 

 or, perhaps, even before it is attained, in those ^pellucid skies, 

 it must begin to exhibit its marvellous aspect. An attempt at 

 allineation on the part of one who has never seen the objects 

 may not unfitly excite a smile, but we will attempt to mark 

 its place by saying that it lies a trifle s of a line from a through 

 f Lupi, two very solitary and it may be presumed conspicuous 

 3 mag. stars nearly on the same parallel, and at about half 

 their distance from the latter. 



