ZEbe flftultituMnous Statg 165 



Kelvin thought that a thousand millions would be 

 nearer the mark. Who, however, can place a limit 

 to the number of stars in the universe, and, inciden- 

 tally, to man's curiosity ? If, in the future, ten thousand 

 millions were disclosed, the inquiring scientist would 

 still be curious to know what lay beyond, for there 

 would still be a Beyond. 



The decision to chart the stars was the outcome 

 of an International Conference convened by the Paris 

 Academy of Sciences. Observatories scattered all 

 over the world are participating in the work. The 

 importance of obtaining a permanent record of the 

 heavens as they exist at present cannot be over- 

 estimated. Astronomers of the future will be able to 

 compare their own charts with those now being taken, 

 and will thus learn at a glance what slow but steady 

 changes are being effected in the relative positions of 

 the stars, also whether new stars have appeared or old 

 ones disappeared. It was recently my pleasure to 

 hear from one of the workers on the great Star Chart, 

 Mr. J. T. Moore, of Hatfield, Doncaster. He was 

 for a considerable time engaged upon the very delicate 

 and skilful work of measuring for the chart, but 

 illness, unfortunately, compelled him to relinquish 

 his labours before the task was finished. The last 

 plate measured by him was on April 1st, 1910, making 

 405 plates in all, and the total number of measures 

 317,672. The Oxford section of the chart on which 

 he was engaged was completed in 1911. 



Though the stars, as revealed by the telescope and 

 camera, are indeed multitudinous, only about three 

 thousand are visible at any one time with the naked 

 eye. Some observers, however, are possessed of 



