llation Gemini, with a seven-foot telescope, bearing a magnifying
power of two hundred and twenty-seven times. It appeared to him that
one of these stars was of an unusual diameter; and he came to the
conclusion, therefore, that it was a comet. It was under this
denomination that it was discussed at the meeting of the Royal Society.
But the researches of Herschel at a later period showed that the orbit
of the new body was circular, and accordingly it was elevated to the
rank of a planet. As already stated, Herschel named it, in compliment to
George III., the Georgium Sidus; in this copying the example of Galileo
with his "Medicaean stars." Afterwards, astronomers christened it
Herschel, and subsequently Uranus, in conformity with the mythological
nomenclature of the other planets.

The immense distance of Uranus from our Earth, its small angular
diameter, and the feebleness of its light, seemed to preclude the hope
that, if it were attended by satellites of the same dimensions in
proportion to its own magnitude as those of the satellites of Jupiter
and Saturn in proportion to _their_ magnitude, they could be descried by
any human observer. The patient, persevering, reverent temper of
Herschel took no account, however, of any discouraging or unpropitious
circumstances. What he did was to substitute for telescopes of the
ordinary construction the new and gigantic forty-foot tube already
described; and, thus, with unremitting vigilance and intense zeal, he
arrived at the discovery (between January 4, 1787, and February 28,
1794) of the _six_ satellites of Uranus; in other words, he revealed to
man the completeness of a new system,--a system which will always be
identified with his name.

* * * * *

Those singular meteors, the comets, which flash through heaven with long
trails of light, and of old astonished the nations as if they were
harbingers of some overwhelming calamity, were also the frequent
subjects of our astronomer's investigations. He brought some of his fine
and powerful instruments to bear on a comet discovered by Mr. Pigott in
1807, and closely and carefully investigated its physical constitution.

The nucleus, or head, was circular and well determined, and evidently
shone by its own light. Very small stars seemed to grow pale, "to hide
their diminished heads," when seen through its _coma_ or tail. It is
true, however, that this faintness may have been only apparent, and due