ConJlriLBion of the Heavens. 242; 



view of my telefcope (£-). Now, if we compute the length of 

 the viilial rny by putting 8 = 588, and the diameter of the 



field of view fifteen minutes, we fhall find « = \/B S = 498 ; lo 

 that it appears the length of what 1 have called my founding Une, 

 or n- I, was probably not lefs than 497 times the diilance of 

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



arran 



gem.ent of ftars gives v/(p^"— i = 1.41421 ; 



R(p 



o 



^/<p2_l 



T „ ^ . -^V-i 



tangent of 31° 28' 55'^77 ; "^ =B= 280,69 ' ~~^ — ~ d ~ 



,81649; — =z2^i6^^o^,y=:n- -{- ^ n^ + I n ; where «= 284,8 



nearly; and idn- 1 =464, the vifual ray. 



It may feem inaccurate that we (liould found an argument on 

 the ftars being equally fcattered, when in all probability there 

 mav not be two of them in the heavens, whofe mutual didance 

 Ihall be equal to thatof any other two given ftars ; but it fhould 

 be confidered, that when we take ail the ftars colle6lively there 

 will be a mean diftance which may be aflbmed as the general 

 one; and an argument founded on fuch a fuppolition will liave- 

 in its favour the greateft })robabiiity of not being far fliort of 

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

 tion of the ftars, with regard to the gages, ftill lefs expoled lo 

 obje6tions is, that whenever the ftars happened either to be 

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



i^e) The breadth of my fweep was 2° 26', to which muft be added 15' for two 

 -femi-diameters of the field. Then, putting i6intf, the number of fields In 

 15 minutes of time ; ,7854 = ^, the proportion of a circle to i, its circumfcribed 

 fquare; (jzrfine of 74^^22', the polar diftance of the middle of the fwtep reduced'^ 

 to the prefent time ; and 588 = 8, the number of ftars in a field of view, we have 



— 1 16076 ftars. 



d^nlj 



