S T A 



S T A 



To learn to know the feveral fixed ftars by the globe, fee 

 Globe. 



The parallax and diftance of the fixed ftars, fee under Pa- 

 rallax and Distance. 



Stars, Circumsolar. See CiRCUMPOLAR. 



Star, Falling, in Meteorology, a meteor, the explication 

 cf which has puzzled all philofophers, till our modern dif- 

 coverics in eleftricity have led to the moll probable account 

 of it. Signor Beccaria makes it pretty evident, that it is 

 an eleftrical appearance, and in proof of this pofition he 

 recites the following faft. About an hour after funfet, lie, 

 and fome friends that were with him, obferved a falling liar 

 direfting its courfe towards them, and apparently growing 

 larger and larger, but it difappeared not far from them ; 

 when it left their faces, hands, and clothes, with the earth, 

 and all the neighbouring objeds, fuddenly illuminated with 

 a difFufed and lambent light, attended with no noife at all. 

 During their furprize at this appearance, a fervant informed 

 them that he had feen a hght ftiine fuddenly in the garden, 

 and efpecially upon the ftream which he was throwing to 

 water it. All thefe appearances were evidently eleftrical ; 

 and S. Beccaria was confirmed in his conjedlure, that electri- 

 city was the caufe of them, by the quantity of electric mat- 

 ter which he had feen gradually advancing towards his kite, 

 which had very much the appearance of a falling liar. Some- 

 times alfo he faw a knid of glory round the kite, which fol- 

 lowed it when it changed its place, but left fome light, for 

 a fmall fpace of time, in the place which it had quitted. 

 Prielll. Eleft. vol. i. p. 434. 8vo. See Ignis Faluus. 



Star, Morning. See Morning. 



Star, Place of a. See Place. 



Star, Pole. See Pole. 



Stars, Twinkling of the. See Twinkling. 



Stars, Unformed. See Informes. 



Star, in EleSricity, denotes the appearance of the elec- 

 tric matter on a point into which it enters. Beccaria fup- 

 pofes that the itar is occafioned by the difficulty with which 

 the eleftric fluid ii extricated from the air, which is an elec- 

 tric. See Brush. 



Star, in Fortification, a little fort, with five or more 

 points, or faliant and re-entering angles, flanking one an- 

 other, and their faces 90 or 100 feet long. 



Formerly, Itar-forts were frequently made in lines of cir- 

 cumvallation, after two or three redoubts. See Redoubt 

 and Sconce. 



Star, in Heraldry, denotes a charge frequently borne on 

 the fhield, and the honourable ordinaries, in the figure of a 

 ftar. It differs from the mullet, or fpur-rowel, in that it is 

 not pierced as this lall is. 



It ufnally confills of five rays or fpokes. When it has 

 fix or eight, as among the Germans and Italians, particular 

 mention muft be made of them in blazoning. 



Stars, on Medals, are marks of confecration and deifi- 

 cation, being intended as fymbols of eternity. F. Joubert 

 fays, they fometimesexprefs the children of princes reigning, 

 and fometimes the children dead ; and placed in the rank of 

 deities. 



Star, in the Manege. White flan in the forehead are 

 elleemed good marks in all horfes, except white and grey 

 ones : where nature fails to produce this good criterion, our 

 jockies have frequently recourfe to art. See Horse. 



The method of making ftars, prattifcd among the Dutch, 

 it to roaft a large onion in hot afhes, and when near 

 thoroughly done, to divide it in two, and dip it in fcalding 

 hot walnut-oil. This done, they immediately apply the 

 flat fide of it to the place the ftar is to be on, and keep it 

 there half an hour. After taking it off, they anoint the 



fcalded place with ointment of rofes ; in a ftiort time, the 

 fcarf-lkin falls off, and white hair grows up in its room ; but 

 the middle always continues bare of hair, which is the certain 

 charafteriftic of an artificial ftar. 



The method moft ufed among us is to (have the hair from 

 the place it is to be made on ; then to apply a little oil of vitriol 

 with a feather, or the like, paffing it lightly over the bald 

 place. This eats away the root"! of the former hair, which 

 will be fuccecded by white. The fore is healed up with 

 copperas, and green ointment. 



Star, To make a Black, on a white or other coloured 

 horfe, wafti the place to be changed frequently with fern- 

 roots and fage, boiled in ley ; and thev fay it will breed black 

 hairs. The fame may be done by beating four milk, galls, 

 and ruft, together, and anointing the part with it. 



Star, A Red, is made with an ounce of aqua fortis, a 

 penny-worth of aqua vitse, and filver to the value of 

 eighteen-pence, all heated together in a glafs, and the place 

 anointed with it. This immediately turns the hair to a 

 perfeft red ; but it lafts no longer than till the horfe calls his 

 coat. 



Star, or Starr, Starrum, in our Old Writers. All the 

 deeds, obligations, &c. of the Jews, were called ^^jrra, and 

 writ for the moll part in Hebrew alone, or in Hebrew and 

 Latin ; one of which yet remain? in the trcafury of the ex- 

 chequer, written in Hebrew without points, the fubitance 

 of which is expreffed in Latin juft under it, like an Englifh 

 condition under a Latin obligation : this bears date in the 

 reign of king John ; and many ftarrs, as well of grant and 

 releafe, as obligatory and by way of mortgage, are pleaded 

 and recited at large in the Plea Rolls. 



Before the baniftiment of the Jews under Edward I., 

 their contrails and obligations were denominated flarra, or 

 ftarrs ; which, by an ordinance of Richard I., preferved by 

 Hoveden, were commanded to be enrolled and depofited in 

 chefts, under three keys, in certain places ; one and the mofl: 

 confiderable of which was in the king's exchequer, at Weft- 

 minfter ; and no ilarr was allowed to be valid, unlefs it were 

 found in fome of the faid repofitories. 



The word ftarr is a contraction from the Hebrew fchetar ; 

 a deed or contrail. 



Star, in Pyrotechny, a compofition of combuftible mat- 

 ters ; which being borne, or thrown aloft into the air, exhi. 

 bits the appearance of a real ftar. 



Stars are generally ufed as appendages to rockets, a num- 

 ber of them being ufually enclofed in a conical cap, or co- 

 ver, at the head of the rocket, and carried up with it to its 

 utmoft altitude, where the ftars taking fire, are fpread 

 around, and exhibit an agreeable fpedlacle. For their com- 

 pofition, fee Pyrotechny. 



Star is alfo a badge of the orders of the Garter and Bath. 



Star, Order of the, or Our Lady of the Star, an order 

 of knighthood, inftituted by king John II, of France in the 

 year 1 351, in imitation of the order of the Garter, not many 

 years before eftabliftied in England by king Edward III., 

 fo denominated from a ftar they wore on the ftomach. 



At firll there were but thirty knights ; but the order, in 

 time, became depreciated by the multitude of perfons ad- 

 mitted without anvdiftindlion. Fur which realon Charles VII. 

 when grand-maftcr thereof, quitted it, and gave it the che- 

 valier de Guet, knight of the watch at Paris, and his 

 archers ; who ftill wear a ftar 011 their coats. But this ac- 

 count is contradiiled by others ; who will have the order in- 

 ftituted by king Robert, in 1022, in honour of the Holy 

 Virgin, and to have fallen in dilregard during the wars of 

 Philip de Valois. 



Others fay, that Lewis XI. having inftituted the order 



of 



