122 SOME RESULTS OF AN ASTRONOMICAL EXPERIMENT 
It was just before and after sunset that the air seemed’ so 
perfectly steady ; later in the evening there was a little motion, 
ut it was nothing like so as I had seen when on the 
mountains in the winter of 1 
I had selected some severe ave tests, as a trial of the observ- 
known do thle stars with considerable interest on the first avail- 
able night, and the old 74- ‘eae telescope ally maintained its first- 
class character. We used a power of 800 (the highest I had) 
with advantage, and directly I looked at the companion to Rigel 
I saw it elongated, and it appears so with — powers over 400. 
It was evident that the components were unequal, the smaller 
ant oi lowing ; independently Mr. Hirst aad myself observed it, 
ed in Te g the eerie angle o , and in mom ments 
nifying, power of 800, though I am - sig distance cannot be 
more than one el ter of a second. proof of the definition, 
On the th he was again hia and Mr. Fairfax inde- 
pendently made the angle the same ; there © ould therefore be no 
question as to what it was, and I was not a little surprised to 
find, on reference to Mr. omikceaia. are that he made it 
179°. is is very remarkable. I am confident the result at 
confirmed it with the large telescope in Sydney. If Mr. Burn- 
ham’s observations are right, then we shall have a most won- 
derful double fives as well as the most difficult known, for his 
observations were made in February and March, wee this sens} 
and our ceoamenticash point to a change of angle of 
distance as ep — be more than a quarter 2 : secon rnd, 
Of other stars, any were examined; Alpha Indi had 
been suspected of Ta icity in ee ib but cn the mountains 
character was restored as a well-defined, round star, and single. 
On the 17th, when looking about, I found a ve ery. beautiful 
double star that is not in Herschel’s catalogue, and I do 
remember having seen it be fore. Its right ascension is 21 ‘ 
28 m., and Aeskiasiee south 83° 20’ the eis ek are 9 and 10 
—the larger one white, and the small one bright blue—2°82 see. 
distance, and angle 112° 10’ 
feat 
