NEBULAE

THROUGH EXPERIENCE I REACHED THE CONCLUSION
THAT NEBULAS DO NOT CHANGE
IN AND OF THEMSELVES
POWERFUL
INSTRUMENTS HAVE SHOWN THEM TO BE
STAR CLUSTERS AND IT WOULD BE UNLIKELY
THAT SO MANY STARS WOULD SEEM
TO BE VARIABLE ALL AT THE SAME TIME

THEIR CHANGE IN APPEARANCE COMES FROM
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TELESCOPES AND EYES
BUT ESPECIALLY FROM THE UNEQUAL PURITY OF
THE ATMOSPHERE
THE SAGE OF ATHENS
NOW DECLARES THAT HE CAN MAKE OUT THE
MEROPE NEBULA WHICH HE WAS NOT
ABLE TO SEE IN 1860
HOWEVER IN THE SAME
YEAR THE CONCIERGE OF THE OBSERVATORY
IN MARSEILLE COULD SEE IT

GIVEN A RESEARCHER WITH TWO THUMBS
EVERYTHING PROVES THAT
THE ATMOSPHERE HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME
EVERYWHERE AND THAT THE OBSERVATION
OF WEAK AND VAGUE OBJECTS DEMANDS
A CERTAIN SKILL
TO THE LITTLE STARS THAT APPEAR ON
THE PARISIAN MAPS I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
ADD A GREAT NUMBER BECAUSE

THE ATMOSPHERE OF MARSEILLE
IS PURER THAN THAT OF PARIS
THE PURITY OF THE AIR IN VENICE THE NIGHT OF
THE MEROPE ON 19 OCTOBER 1859
IS RARER THAN ONE WOULD IMAGINE
AND EVEN IN THE SKY IN MARSEILLE
I SAW BUT TWICE THE FINE
TONGUE IN THE MOUTH
OF THE GREAT ORION NEBULA