agnitudes at the most. The stray light surrounding a comparatively
bright star tends to conceal a faint companion, although the telescope
may perfectly separate them so far as the stellar disks are concerned.
Then, too, I have observed in my own experience that a very faint and
close double is more difficult than a brighter pair not more widely
separated, usually on account of the defect of light, and this is true
even when the components of the faint double are of equal magnitude.

Sigma 470, otherwise known as 32 Eridani, is a superb object on account
of the colors of its components, the larger star being a rich topaz and
the smaller an ultramarine; while the difference in magnitude is not as
great as in many of the colored doubles. The magnitudes are five and
seven, distance 6.7", p. 348 deg.. The star gamma, of magnitude two and a
half, has a tenth-magnitude companion, distant 51", p. 238 deg.. Sigma 516,
also called 39 Eridani, consists of two stars of magnitudes six and
nine, distance 6.4", p. 150 deg.; colors, yellow and blue. The supposed
binary character of this star has not yet been established.

In omicron^2 we come upon an interesting triple star, two of whose
components at any rate we can easily see. The largest component is of
the fourth magnitude. At a distance of 82", p. 105 deg., we find a
tenth-magnitude companion. This companion is itself double, the
magnitudes of its components being ten and eleven, distance 2.6", p.
98 deg.. Hall says of these stars that they "form a remarkable system." He
has also observed a fourth star of the twelfth magnitude, distant 45"
from the largest star, p. 85 deg.. This is apparently unconnected with the
others, although it is only half as distant as the tenth-magnitude
component is from the primary. Sigma 590 is interesting because of the
similarity of its two components in size, both being of about the
seventh magnitude, distance 10", p. 318 deg..

Finally, we turn to the nebula 826. This is planetary in form and
inconspicuous, but Lassell has described it as presenting a most
extraordinary appearance with his great reflector--a circular nebula
lying upon another fainter and larger nebula of a similar shape, and
having a star in its center. Yet it may possibly be an immensely distant
star cluster instead of a nebula, since its spectrum does not appear to
be gaseous.

CHAPTER VII

PISCES, ARIES, TAURUS, AND THE NORTHERN STARS

"Now sing we stormy skies when A