Abstract
THE DISTANT HERSCHELIAN COMPANION OF γ LEONIS.—In 1861 Prof. Winnecke, writing from Pulkowa, drew attention to a star of the ninth magnitude near the double-star γ Leonis, which M. Otto Struve had found to have an annual proper motion exceeding 0′.5. The star was observed with the Dorpat transit-instrument, on April 12, 1820, and once by Bessel in zone 502, on April 12, 1831, and from these observations compared with two at Pulkowa in April, 1861, and with micrometrical measures from γ Leonis by M. Otto Struve, Prof. Winnecke concluded that the proper motion of the small star with respect to the neighbouring binary, was very nearly 0′.85 in R.A. and 0′.10 in declination, annually. Sir W. Herschel observed a distant companion of γ Leonis, the mean of two angles giving 297°.5 for about 1782.9, with a distance of 111″.4, which he thought was “pretty accurate,” though as we are now aware, many of these wider measures of Sir W. Herschel require material correction.
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Our Astronomical Column . Nature 19, 484–485 (1879). https://doi.org/10.1038/019484b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/019484b0