82 
POPULAE SCIENCE EEYIE'W’. 
that the stars are gathered, but into those irregular cloud-like masses, 
those streams, projections, and interlacing branches, -which constitute the 
Milky Way as it is actually presented on clear nights to our study.” “ In the 
chart, however, we see the projections carried much farther away from the 
main branch.” u A circumstance of some interest is to be recognised in the 
fact that the branching extensions are found to lead, in almost every instance, 
towards regions of the heavens where many nebulae exist.” 
A New Southern Observatory . — It is probable that before many years are 
passed astronomers will be able to extend the system of charting advocated 
and practised by Mr. Proctor, to the southern heavens. At the Cape obser- 
vatory Mr. Stone is already busily at work reducing the observations made 
during the last fourteen or fifteen years. Dr. B. A. Gould writes to the 
Astronomer Boyal respecting the present position of the work at the new 
observatory of Cordoba. The special instrumental observations which Dr. 
Gould has in purpose have not been commenced, the observatory not 
being yet sufficiently complete ; but considerable progress has been made in 
Uranometry. Dr. Gould has a catalogue of over 7,100 stars visible to the 
naked eye on good nights, reaching to the magnitude 6-6. The space within 
which these stars lie is about *587 of the complete celestial sphere ; and 
therefore the numerical richness corresponds to about 12,100 stars for the 
whole heavens — a much larger number than is usually supposed to be 
visible to the naked eye. It will be interesting to notice whether the 
seemingly remarkable richness of the southern heavens as thus newly sur- 
veyed corresponds to the peculiar distribution noticed by Mr. Proctor, who 
remarks, in the Preface to his larger Star- Atlas, that 1,132 stars may be 
counted in the south polar maps, as against fewer than 400 in an equal 
northern area. 
On October 17 the observatory is to be formally inaugurated, and Dr. 
Gould has good reason to believe that within a month from that day he 
will be able to begin the work upon the zones. 
He remarks incidentally that hitherto he has only been able to study the 
great Argo nebula with u a telescope of about five inches in aperture ” (much 
larger than Mr. Abbott’s), 11 placed upon the roof of his house. But such 
observations as I have hitherto been able to make, compared with the 
drawing in Sir J. Herschel’s ‘ Cape Observations,’ have tended strongly to 
impress me with the conviction that the alleged change is altogether 
imaginary.” 
Planets for the Quarter . — Venus will be a morning star, and, on the whole, 
favourably placed for observation at the beginning of the quarter. Jupiter 
and Uranus come to opposition respectively on January 15 and 19, and are 
therefore very favourably situated for observation. Neither Mars nor 
Saturn will be well placed, Saturn® being in conjunction on January 3, and 
Mars passing onwards to conjunction (which will take place on May 17). 
Mercury reaches his greatest westerly elongation on January 24, his greatest 
easterly elongation on April 5. 
