Ah! I can see a sort of light there. Is that the Argo Nebula?
Yes, and a very large one it is. Thousands of stars can be observed in it by the telescope; but beyond these is still the same filmy light, as irresolvable as ever.
There must be a lot of Nebulæ by the Cross, judging by the blaze of light.
There is a very fine one there, of a blue colour. One near Spica, of the Virgin, is quite round, and of enormous size. But there is a very odd Crab Nebula between Orion and the Bull’s eye. It branches out like the claws of a crab.
What an enormous Crab!
We have a Dumb-bell Nebula near the Lyre.
Oh! who could swing that about? Pray tell me some more about these queer creatures, father.
Many in the south are planetary Nebulæ, as they are in the midst of a cluster of stars. They are always of a pale blue colour. Some are double ones. About a dozen Nebulæ are annular, or ring-shaped. Some are double or treble ringed. Others have rings within rings, and star-like eyes in the darkness. A few have a long, parsnip form. There are solid Nebulæ, and hollow ones. One near Castor was found by Rosse to be arched like eyebrows above and below, with a curious, crab-like form in the middle.
I wonder what it would look like should a better telescope reach it!
Wonder, indeed! Some Nebulæ seen by Herschel get quite another shape with Rosse. The six-feet mirror gives another look to that by the three-feet one.