ConJlni5lion of the Heavens. 24^ 



view of my telefcope (t'). Now, if we compute the length of 

 the vKlial ray by putting S^jSS, and the dlnmtter of the 



field of view fifteen minutes, we fhall find ?i — s/B'S = 498 ; fo 

 that it appears the length of what I have called my IbundingHne, 

 or ;/- I, was probably not lefs than 49^ times the diftance of 

 Sirius from the fun. The lame gage calculated by the fecond 



arrangement of ftars gives %/(??'— i = i. 41 421 ; 



Var — 



tangent of 31° 28' SS" yll ''^ "^ =B= 280,69; ~\-^ ^ d - 



,81649; — r=23i63409,7=i/2'4- I «'+ ? « ; where « = 284,8 



nearly; and zdn- 1 —464, the vifual ray. 



It may feem inaccurate that we fhould found an argum.enton 

 the ftars being equally fcattered, when in all probability there 

 mav not be two of them In the heavens, whole mutual didance 

 fhall be equal to that of any other two given ftars ; but it fhould 

 be confidered, that when we take all the flars colledlively there 

 will be a mean diftance which may be afl'umed as the general 

 one; and an argument founded on fuch a fuppofition will have 

 in its favour the greateft probability of not being far fliort of 

 truth. What will render the fuppofition of an equal diftribu- 

 tion of the flars, with regard to the gages, ftill lefs expofed to 

 objedions is, that whenever the flars happened either to be 

 uncommonly crowded or deficient in number, fo as very fud- 



{e) The breadth of my fweep was 2° 26', to which muil be adtkd 15' for tvvo 



femi-diameters of the field. Then, putting 161 r:^, the number of fields in 



I 5 minutes of time ; ,7854 = ^, the proportion of a circle to i, its ciicumfcribed 



fquare; (frrfine of 74"" 22', the polar diftance of the middle of the fweep reduced 



to the prefent time ; and 588 =:S, the number of ftars in a field of view,, v/ehave 



«(pS , . . 



- — z: 110076 ftars, 

 b 



