The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-12-29
Singular Astronomical E:iiCnor,cun-
Observations from the tcH Austria
liam Telescope.

HAN Ec.cScGpc.
From the London Spectator.
dor ii,,r voar ago discovery wa- au-
nollncc,. by m :,>Ir1isomcr - The southern
hrmi~phcrc which seemed 50 strange and so
pnrplcXiug that Sir John Hcrsciicl, com
mcntirC Oh it, remarked " that no phc-
nomcn0n in astronomy had yet turned up
nrcsentinl anything lik" the same interest,
Of calculated - :ai>" 50 many and such
momcntcus points for in4i.i"? ard 'pccu-
1tion.' one of those mysterious ncbu-
}o,l> r,l~sc~ whi.'l, astronomer. had been
in the habit o; regarding Is gnlaNlcS,
resembling in extent and DllgnilircnCc
I'll" sit;cr"Gl scheme 20 which the sun be-
uu"-, scanned 10 br undergoing 4 most as
founding ScT;5H NJ changc-; During these
winter nights, when Orion chimes with full
-" the famous nebula which cling
arn1ind MS pcrGa;;,,tt sword presents 10 our
northern observers An object similar to the
nnhuia in question. Every one has heard
II TIE strange Interest which attaches TO
this Orion neD,i.i, y the mysterious tar
reaching arms which extend from ii. the
dark, central vacancy, and the brilliant
array of stars which the siN-iecy mirror OF
kord kosSc has brought iuto view in The
vfly. heart cf the ncbula. But Ill the
southern sti", there j. an ot9ect, OF The
MYSTERIOUS. In the richest part OF the south
,yn heavens. ii part 50 rich. indeed, that, ;,c-
curiIing ia the argument of Il wellhm2Wn
astronomer, the splendor Of the conStclla-
Sio,iS comprised il il iiiumcs the heavens
~ Il new moon n0t.idy there lies the great
ncbllla known anon" astronomers as The
ucbulu in Argo." The Orion nebull can
be seen on Tie darkest nights. but the
great Argo ncbula shines a. brilliantly asa
1ird-1nagniiude star. and Is scarcely OBJ
hGcratcd even by the eifulgcnce OF the 1ull
moon. !. IS. IN fact, the most splendid
nebua in the whole heavens. let this Go
riouS object, whose contemplation has Icd
our most thoughtful astronomers to form
new ideas of the grandeur OF the universe,
whose Gi!.!onsiouS seemed immcasurab!e by
any unit Of length men cCG!1 fcTl>c; lie
whole Of this magnificent ncbula. IS dI1itihg
about like a cloud before Il shifting Wlnd.
For the news which seemed so sur
pri>ne to Sir John UcrSchcl has just
been confirmed by the revelations OF Il
Dew telescope Of enormous power. The
nc.:s had come, first of all, from u small
tclcscope-oniy five inches, indeed, in aper-
ture, and it seemed quite possible that the
::..".,.nr>s Of the instrument compared with
the nineteen-inch reflector uscu ~ Sir John
:ierscncl during his survey OF the southern
heavens might nave led to an erroneous
impression Of change. But now the ne"
four-foot mirror is at work among the south
ern stars. Surpassed only by the Rosse re-
flector, and matched only ~ t.t" line re-
hector with which Lassell is surveying the
heavens at Malta, the great Melbourne re-
Hector is about TO place our knowledge OF
the southern heavens ncarlE Oh the same
footing as that VIC possess respecting the
northern stars. And II the work TO he
done by TINS gre.;. reflector in after years
j. shadowcd forth by its iirst great eN-
pIoir. we NAV well look. eagerly Tor
ward for the discoveries ii viii effect. slr
John IIcrschcl had saiG Il yearand more ago
that the strange inquiries suggested by the
news then lately received about the Argo
uebua .must be settled We cannot do
better than use the lp$tSSlnlO rtrbG ol the
great astronomer: - The question:, he
said, sis not one 0f minute VARIATIONS OF
subordinate features, which may or may
not he attributable to differences OF optical
power in the instruments used by different
observers, as i'll the case OF the ORION ne
bua, but of u total change Of form and cha
ractcr-a complete subversion OF all the
greater and most striking features-accom-
uauied with an amount OF relative move
ment between the star and the nebula, and
of the brighter portions OF the latter inter
Sc. which reminds us more Of the capricious
changes of form and place in cloud
Glifled by the wind than Of anyt hing
heretofore witnessed in the sidereal hea'
vens." Urged Oh, doubtless, by the impor-
| tance thus attached to the question by the
greatest astronomer of the day, Mr.. LIE
+nrned the newly mounted reflector
rhe result is now be.
Sueur - the least
to the great nebI.a.
fore US. There seems no long,. :.
room to doubt that the nebula has changeu
in the most marvellous manner since Sir
john Herschel, third OF century ago.
mapped its most striking features, The
stars which are strewn over the nebula and
which had been spoken of by Sir John Rer-
schel as probably much nearer to us, have