﻿COUNTING 
  THE 
  STAES 
  SEARES 
  195 
  

  

  stars 
  are 
  visible 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  longitude 
  319° 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   direction. 
  

  

  The 
  accordance 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  in 
  Table 
  III, 
  the 
  progressive 
  change 
  

   in 
  the 
  curves 
  of 
  Figure 
  1 
  with 
  longitude, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  

   flatten 
  out 
  with 
  increasing 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  Milky 
  Way, 
  all 
  indicate 
  

   that 
  we 
  are 
  really 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  flattened 
  

   system 
  of 
  stars. 
  Indeed, 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  hesitate 
  to 
  accept 
  this 
  as 
  a 
  valid 
  

   explanation 
  of 
  the 
  phenomena. 
  The 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  center 
  itself 
  

   must 
  of 
  course 
  agree 
  with 
  that 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  stars 
  are 
  most 
  numerous, 
  

   and 
  is 
  therefore 
  to 
  be 
  looked 
  for 
  near 
  longitude 
  319°, 
  in 
  Sagittarius, 
  

   where, 
  as 
  already 
  noted, 
  the 
  richest 
  star 
  clouds 
  are 
  found. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  natural 
  to 
  ask 
  next 
  how 
  far 
  we 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  center; 
  but 
  

   this 
  turns 
  out 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  difficult 
  question, 
  not 
  yet 
  fully 
  settled. 
  

   The 
  attempt 
  to 
  answer 
  it 
  has, 
  however, 
  brought 
  to 
  light 
  new 
  features 
  

   of 
  stellar 
  distribution 
  to 
  which 
  we 
  now 
  turn 
  our 
  attention. 
  

  

  IV 
  

  

  DEPENDENCE 
  OF 
  CENTER 
  AND 
  SECONDARY 
  GALAXY 
  ON 
  LIMIT- 
  

   ING 
  MAGNITUDE 
  OF 
  COUNTS 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  curves 
  for 
  the 
  other 
  magnitude 
  limits 
  have 
  the 
  general 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  those 
  for 
  the 
  sixteenth 
  magnitude 
  shown 
  in 
  Figure 
  1, 
  

   they 
  support 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  planets 
  are 
  not 
  at 
  the 
  

   center 
  of 
  the 
  stellar 
  system. 
  The 
  results 
  for 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  cen- 
  

   ter 
  are 
  remarkable, 
  however, 
  in 
  that 
  the 
  mean 
  longitude 
  as 
  found 
  from 
  

   the 
  different 
  series 
  of 
  curves 
  is 
  not 
  constant, 
  but 
  shows 
  a 
  large 
  pro- 
  

   gressive 
  change 
  with 
  limiting 
  magnitude. 
  Thus 
  for 
  stars 
  brighter 
  

   than 
  the 
  ninth 
  magnitude, 
  the 
  center 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  longitude 
  270°; 
  

   as 
  we 
  extend 
  the 
  counts 
  to 
  fainter 
  limits, 
  the 
  direction 
  changes 
  slowly 
  

   but 
  regularly 
  along 
  the 
  Milky 
  Way 
  some 
  50° 
  toward 
  the 
  east, 
  until 
  

   for 
  the 
  eighteenth 
  magnitude 
  we 
  find 
  it 
  about 
  where, 
  a 
  moment 
  ago, 
  

   we 
  thought 
  it 
  actually 
  to 
  be 
  located. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  true 
  center 
  is 
  indeed 
  very 
  nearly 
  in 
  this 
  

   direction, 
  and 
  that 
  its 
  apparent 
  dependence 
  on 
  magnitude 
  arises 
  from 
  

   some 
  peculiarity 
  in 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  brighter 
  stars. 
  When 
  we 
  

   consider 
  counts 
  which 
  include 
  only 
  bright 
  stars, 
  this 
  peculiarity 
  

   asserts 
  itself 
  and 
  spoils 
  our 
  calculation; 
  when 
  we 
  add 
  the 
  faint 
  stars, 
  

   however, 
  which 
  are 
  vastly 
  more 
  numerous 
  than 
  the 
  bright 
  ones, 
  the 
  

   peculiarity, 
  whatever 
  it 
  may 
  be, 
  has 
  little 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  general 
  dis- 
  

   tribution, 
  and 
  we 
  find 
  very 
  nearly 
  the 
  true 
  direction. 
  

  

  This 
  conclusion 
  is 
  strengthened 
  by 
  considering 
  a 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  

   curves 
  of 
  Figure 
  1 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  traced 
  with 
  the 
  eye 
  alone, 
  but 
  

   which 
  appears 
  clearly 
  and 
  consistently 
  when 
  we 
  deal 
  with 
  the 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  themselves. 
  It 
  consists 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  difference 
  between 
  curves 
  for 
  

   the 
  same 
  latitude 
  on 
  opposite 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  Milky 
  Way 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  to 
  

   be 
  expected 
  were 
  the 
  stars 
  symmetrically 
  distributed 
  not 
  with 
  respect 
  

  

  82322—30 
  14 
  

  

  