504 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
Occultation of Kappa Cancri . — It wiU be remembered that in an occultation 
of this star, it was observed to hang upon the edge of the moon for a moment, 
which could only be explained by supposing it to be double. On May 2, 1865, 
Mr. Dawes had a good opportunity of testing this ; but the disappearance of 
the star at the dark edge was instantaneous. No projection or clinging to 
the edge was noticed at the reappearance. The star was examined with 
powers 407 and 560 ; but although the definition and steadiness were very 
good, no elongation of its disc could be perceived. 
New Planet . — The 83rd minor planet was discovered by M. de Gasparis, at 
Naples, on April 26, 1865, and has received the naine of Beatrix, in honour 
of Dante. 
Spectra of Nehulce . — Professor Secchi, during the past winter, has examined 
the spectrum of the nebula of Orion, which he finds to agree with that found 
by Mr. Huggins in regard to the planetary nebulae. He found that in the 
whole spectrum only three lines were seen, one coincided with the line F of 
Fraunhofer, and the strongest was situated between b and f. The group 
lies between the Sodium ray D and the Strontian blue line. The nebula is 
green, and the blue ray which coincides with F lies between the green and 
the blue. In reference to the absence of the dark line f in the star Alpha 
Orionis, Professor Secchi imagines that this may be a body intermediate 
between the perfectly formed stars and the nebulae, as this circumstance 
agrees with the presence of the bright ray in the nebula. Mr. Huggins, 
however, is not of the same opinion, as the spectrum shows that its light 
comes from incandescent solid or liquid matter, and that it is the presence of 
bodies in its atmosphere which produces the dark lines. The absence of one 
of the lines only shows that a particular gas does not enter into the compo- 
sition of its atmosphere, whilst the great number of lines proves that there 
exist as many elements as in the sun and brighter stars, and he therefore 
thinks that the absence of the lines of hydrogen does not place this star in a 
lower cosmical rank. In regard to the spectrum of the nebula of Orion, 
Mr. Huggins finds that, like the annular nebula of Lyra, and that called the 
Dumb Bell, it only gives three bright lines, showing that their light emanates 
from glowing gas. He thinks that the small intensity of their light is due to 
this, and probably also their strange appearance as “ on account of the 
absorption by the portions of gas nearest to us of the light from the gas 
behind them, there would be presented to us little more than a luminous 
surface.” No indication of a continuous spectrum could be perceived in any 
portion of the nebula ; but the four bright stars of the trapezium gave one, 
showing that they were composed of incandescent solid or liquid matter. If, 
according to Lord Posse and Professor Bond, the bright parts near the 
trapezium are composed of star-dust, Mr. Huggins thinks that this may be 
due to separate, and perhaps denser portions of the gas, and that the nebula 
does not consist of an unbroken vapourous mass. The vast distances of the 
nebulge can no longer be considered as tenable in respect of those nebulae 
which give a gaseous spectrum, and Mr. Huggins thinks that proper motion 
might be successfully sought for among them. If the nebulous theory of 
Sir W. Herschel be true, we should expect as many bright lines in the nebulae 
as there are dark lines in the stars into which they have been elaborated. 
Those nebulae with nuclei may, however, be partly composed of solid or liquid 
