A Little Ramble Through 19th Century Astronomy - star 27 Canis Minor in 1875

 Nature June 17^th 1875

Mr J E Gore (Umballa, Punjab) writes, under May 5^th 1875 that he believes that the star 27 Canis Minoris to be a variable star. It is 4 in Hardin’s Atlas but at present about 5.5 or 6, and much inferior to 28 Canis Minoris which Harding rates at 5.

The change in Brightness was first noticed in 1874. This star is 4.5 in the Radcliffe Catalogues, % in Arg Zones, 5.5 in Lacaille and 6.5 in Heis’ catalogue; Behrmann has 6, and the lowest estimate of magnitude 7 is in Flamsteed’s catalogue, with respect to which Baily remarks that there is  no magnitude recorded in the original observation book, and that the modern observation makes it 4.5.

Mr Gore states he has also suspected some variations in light in the red star 22 Canis Majoris; it is usually rated as of magnitude 3 or 3.5, but for some time past it has seemed rather fainter than an ordinary star of the fourth magnitude. Bradley and Piazzi have this star 3.4 magnitude, while Flamsteed, Brisbane and Heis have it at 4, the Washington General 5, and it is so rated once by Argelander; in Behrmann it is 4.5.

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