24< OUTLINES OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



containing 998 j of MASKELYNE, containing on- 

 ly 36 ; but the places determined with such ex- 

 actness as to render it extremely valuable. See his 

 Astronomical Observations) 1770. 



BODE'S Atlas, Berlin, 1797, is the largest catalogue, 

 reduced into one body, that has appeared j it con- 

 tains 17,000. 



d. The number of the stars, however, visible with 

 the telescope, far exceeds whatever can be reckon- 

 ed. The bright tract in the heavens, called the 

 Milky Way> seems to owe its white appearance to 

 an incredible multitude of stars, which the eye can- 

 not distinguish. Dr HERSCHEL has seen 1 16,000 

 stars pass through the field of his telescope in a 

 quarter of an hour ; though the field was not 

 more than 15 in diameter. 



32. The most obvious distinction among the 

 stars, is founded on their different magnitudes. 

 Those of the first magnitude, are distinguished 

 by particular names ; there are only ten visi- 

 ble in Europe, which all astronomers have a- 

 greed to belong to that class. 



a. The stars visible to the naked eye, are divided, 

 in all, into six classes, not very accurately separa- 

 ted from one another. The ancients counted 15 

 of the first, 45 of the second, 208 of the third. 

 LA LANDE, 557. 



H ALLEY, 



