THE BODIES OF SPACE, 



THEIR ARRANGEMENTS AND FORMATION. 



IT is familiar knowledge that the earth which we inhabit is 

 a globe of somewhat less than 8000 miles in diameter, being 

 one of a series of eleven which revolve at different distances 

 around the sun, and some of which have satellites in like 

 manner revolving around them. The sun, planets, and satel- 

 lites, with the less intelligible orbs termed comets, are com- 

 prehensively called the solar system ; and if we take as the 

 uttermost bounds of this system the orbit of Uranus (though 

 the comets actually have a wider range), we shall find that it 

 occupies a portion of space not less than three thousand six 

 hundred millions of miles in diameter. The mind fails to 

 form an exact notion of a portion of space so immense ; but 

 some faint idea of it may be obtained from the fact, that, if 

 the swiftest race-horse ever known had begun to traverse it, 

 at full speed, at the time of the birth of Moses, he would 

 as yet have accomplished only half his journey. 



It has long been concluded amongst astronomers, that the 

 stars, though they appear to our eyes only as brilliant points, 

 are all to be considered as suns, representing so many solar 

 systems, each bearing a general resemblance to our own. 

 The stars have a brilliancy and apparent magnitude which 

 we may safely presume to be in proportion to their actual 

 size and the distance at w r hich they are placed from us. 

 Attempts have been made to ascertain the distance in some 



