24 THE SKY. 



THE STELLAR SYSTEM. 



The thousands of stars which spangle the heavens are all 

 part of one " system ; " but it has been found by the aid of 

 the telescope that this system is but one out of many. Our 

 system of stars occupies a space somewhat in the form of a 

 thick lens or much-flattened sphere, but others are of very 

 different forms, and some have but little regularity of form 

 at all ; our sun is one of the stars of this system. It is not 

 known whether there are planets revolving round the other 

 stars, the distance being far too great for any telescope to 

 render them visible. Our sun occupies a somewhat central 

 position in the system. The stars are classed into sizes, as 

 first magnitude, second magnitude, &c., on to the thirteenth 

 or fourteenth magnitude, but all beyond the fifth magnitude 

 (by far the greater number) are only visible by the aid of 

 the telescope. There are about 5000 stars visible to the 

 naked eye But fourteen stars of the first magnitude 

 are in our hemisphere of the heavens, and abcut fifty 

 of the second, but the number of stars of each magnitude 

 increases prodigiously in the higher numbers, so that those 

 stars capable only of being seen by the aid of powerful 

 telescopes, amount to many millions ; these are chiefly 

 situated in a great belt which encircles the heavens, called 

 the " Milky Way," which is caused by the line of vision 

 passing through the breadth of our starry system, and con- 

 sequently meeting with a greater number of stars than in 

 other directions, where it only crosses its thickness. 



The other systems of stars, called "nebulae," from their 

 resemblance to little clouds, were supposed to consist of 

 luminous matter of but little density, and which might at 

 some future period be condensed into stars ; but the 

 improved power and construction of telescopes have enabled 

 astronomers to resolve many of these nebula into clusters 

 of stars, and there is but little doubt that all could be 

 thus resolved, were the telescope of sufficient power ; and 

 thus it appears that in the infinity of space collections of 

 systems are placed, each one too distant from the others to 



