was possessed of a telescope of such power as those which the
Herschels had used. It is true, of course, that as a certain margin
of the southern hemisphere was visible from these latitudes, it had
been more or less scrutinized by observers in northern skies. And
the glimpses which had thus been obtained of the celestial objects in
the southern sky, were such as to make an eager astronomer long for a
closer acquaintance with the celestial wonders of the south. The
most glorious object in the sidereal heavens, the Great Nebula in
Orion, lies indeed in that southern hemisphere to which the younger
Herschel's attention now became directed. It fortunately happens,
however, for votaries of astronomy all the world over, that Nature
has kindly placed her most astounding object, the great Nebula in
Orion, in such a favoured position, near the equator, that from a
considerable range of latitudes, both north and south, the wonders of
the Nebula can be explored. There are grounds for thinking that the
southern heavens contain noteworthy objects which, on the whole, are
nearer to the solar system than are the noteworthy objects in the
northern skies. The nearest star whose distance is known, Alpha
Centauri, lies in the southern hemisphere, and so also does the most
splendid cluster of stars.

Influenced by the desire to examine these objects, Sir John Herschel
determined to take his great telescope to a station in the southern
hemisphere, and thus complete his survey of the sidereal heavens. The
latitude of the Cape of Good Hope is such that a suitable site could
be there found for his purpose. The purity of the skies in South
Africa promised to provide for the astronomer those clear nights
which his delicate task of surveying the nebulae would require.

On November 13, 1833, Sir John Herschel, who had by this time