I'm trying to solve Exercise 1.26 from the book "Moduli of Curves" by Harris and Morrison on page 14: ***Exercise (1.26)*** Determine the normal bundle to the rational normal curve $C \subset \mathbb{P}^r =: X$ and show, by computing its $h^0$, that the Hilbert scheme parameterizing such curves is smooth at any point corresponding to a rational normal curve. The part I can't solve is that one how the dimension of global sections of the normal bundle $h^0= \dim_{\mathbb{C}}H^0(C, N_{C / X})$ imply that the Hilbert scheme $\mathcal{H}$ is smooth at $[C]$. Since $C$ is rational normal curve $C \cong \mathbb{P}^1$ and the long exact cohomology sequence of the exact sequence $0\rightarrow \mathcal{T}_{C} \rightarrow \mathcal{T}_{X}\otimes\mathcal{O}_{C} \rightarrow \mathcal{N}_{X|C} \rightarrow 0$ gives $$\operatorname{dim} H^0 (C,N_{C/X}) = \operatorname{dim} H^0 (C,T_X \otimes O_C) -3 = (r+1) \cdot \dim \ H^0 (C,O_C(1))-3$$ (the last one is consequence of Euler sequence). Fine now we know $h^0$. Immediately before it was shown that the tangent space of $\mathcal{H}$ at $[C]$ is $$T_{[C]}\mathcal{H}= H^0(C, N_{C / X})$$ Per definition a scheme $X$ is smooth at a point $P$ if the dimension of tangent space at this point coinsides with *local dimension*: ie there exist an open affine subscheme $U \subset X$ with $P \in U$ and $\dim_P T= \dim \ U$. Working through previous pages I nowhere found informations about local dimension of the Hilbert scheme parametrizing rational normal curve so I have no idea how can I compare the dimension of $T_{[C]}\mathcal{H}= H^0(C, N_{C / X})$ which I calculated above with the local dimension of $\mathcal{H}$. Can anybody give me some hints how to attack this part of the exercise?