AND DISTANCE FROM THE EARTH 



Madler, annoLinced to the world in 1846, it was his convic- 

 tion that our sun and planets were revolving round a great 

 central sun. This he made out to be Alcyone, the central 

 star in the familiar cluster called the Pleiades, and he com- 

 puted it took 150,000,000 years to complete a single 

 revolution. This theory has been revived on several 

 occasions in later years, and many fanciful ideas as to this 

 star being the ultimate abode of bliss has been advanced, 

 but at present the least we can say regarding it is summed 

 up in the old Scotch verdict, '* not proven." 



If the ancient Assyrian star-gazers had only been able 

 to hand down to us accurate charts of the constellations as 

 known in their da3^s, our way would have been made much 

 clearer. Fortunately, at the present day, accurate maps 

 of the stars are in existence which will serve as a basis 

 for future generations to note the changes taking place on 

 ■the face of the sky, and such a problem as now confronts 

 us will undoubtedly be solved in course of time. Especial 

 mention must be made of the stupendous astrographic 

 survey and photographic map of the entire heavens which 

 was undertaken in the year 1887 ^Y eighteen of the 

 principal observatories in different parts of the globe, and 

 which work is at present nearing completion. No less 

 than 20,000 plates have been exposed in this epoch making 

 work. When the whole chart is published it will remain a 

 permanent record of the exact position of the stars at the 

 close of the nineteenth centur3^ We can safely prophesy 

 that a careful study of this great undertaking by 

 astronomers, centuries hence will yield up some of the 

 profoundest secrets of the stars which are at present so 

 jealously guarded by dame nature. 



The determination of the sun's distance may be 

 regarded as the laying of the foundation stone upon which 

 the whole fabric of astronomical science is built, and upon 

 which it is possible for its pinnacle to be reared to the 

 very heavens above. Without this knowledge of how far 



