2 $6 Mr. Herschel on the 
hundreds of nebulae which are to be feen in what 1 have called 
the nebulous dratum of Coma Berenices. It appears from the 
extended and branching figure of our nebula, that there is room 
for the decompofed fmall nebulae of a large, reduced, former 
great one to approach nearer to us in the fides than in other 
parts. Nay, poffibly, there might originally be another very 
large joining branch, which in time became feparated by the 
condenfation of the dars ; and this may be the reafon of the 
little remaining breadth of our fydem in that very place : for 
the nebulae of the dratum of the Coma are b righted: and mod: 
crowded juft oppodte our dtuation, or in the pole of our fydzem. 
As foon as this idea was fuggeded, I tried alfo the oppodte pole, 
where accordingly I have met with a great number of nebulae, 
though under a much more Scattered form. 
O 
An 'Opening in the heavens . 
Some .parts of our fyftem indeed deem already to have fuf- 
tained greater ravages of time than others, if this way of ex- 
preffing myfelf may be allowed ; for indance, in the body of 
the Scorpion is an opening, or hole, which is probably owing to 
this caufe. 1 found it while I was gaging in the parallel from 
1 12 to 1 14 degrees of north polar didance. As I approached 
the milky way, the gages had been gradually running up from 
9,7 to 1 7,1 ; when, all of a fudden, they fell down to nothing, 
a very few .pretty large dars excepted, which made them fhew 
0,5, 0,7, i,i, 1,4, i,B; after which they again role to 4,7, 
13,5, 20,3, and foon after to 41,1. This opening is at lead 
4 degrees broad, but its height I have not yet afcertained. It 
is remarkable, that the 80 Nebuleufe fans etoiles of the Con- 
ncffance des Temps, which is one of the riched and mod com- 
preffed 
