But even superior men have no reason for any great anxiety to know these principles, for if what they desire is to be able to speak of all things, and to acquire a reputation for learning, they will gain their end more easily by remaining satisfied with the appearance of truth, which can be found without much difficulty in all sorts of matters, than by seeking the truth itself which unfolds itself but slowly and that only in some departments, while it obliges us, when we have to speak of others, freely to confess our ignorance.
This is the famous NGC 884 “Double Star Cluster” in Perseus, one of the truly classic examples of a galactic cluster, and a wonderfully beautiful object for moderate telescopes. Among the all-time favorites for amateur observers, it may be seen without optical aid as a hazy patch of light about midway between the stars of Perseus and the familiar “WwW” figure of Cassiopeia. A small telescope reveals that this luminous spot consists of two fine open star clusters together in the field, the pair forming one of the most impressive and spectacular objects in the entire heavens. In the mythological outline of the constellation it marks the “Sword Handle” of Perseus and is often identified on star atlases by the inconsistent designation “h - x” Persei. The cluster called “h” is NGC 869, and “y” is NGC 884.