star 
tlon of the fixed stars. See acceleration. Double 
star. See multiple star. Equestrian star. See Uip- 
peastrum. Evening Star. See evening. Falling Star. 
See falling-star. Fixed star, a self-luminous body at so 
vast a distance from the earth as to appear a point of 
light, almost motionless except for the diurnal revolution 
of the heuvens. To the naked eye the brighter stars ap- 
pear to have radiating lines of light ; but these are due 
to imperfections of vision, and are different for different 
observers. All the fixed stars twinkle (see tiritikliny). In a 
good telescope on a fine night a star shows a minute round 
disk surrounded by concentric rings ; but these phenom- 
ena are mere effects of diffraction, and no instrument yet 
constructed can enable the eye to detect a fixed star's real 
breadth. The stars differ in brilliancy, and in this respect 
are said to have different magnitudes (see magnitude, 
6). These in many cases are changeable (see variable 
star). The number of stars in the whole heavens brighter 
than a given magnitude m may be approximately calcu- 
lated by the formula (3.3)>- s + < ". The stars are very 
irregularly distributed in the heavens, being greatly con- 
centrated toward the Milky Way. This is particularly 
true of first-magnitude stars, and again of faint telescopic 
stars. There are many clusters of stars, among which the 
Pleiades, the Hyades, Prresepe, Coma Berenices, and the 
cluster in the sword-handle of Perseus are visible to the 
naked eye. Other stars are associated in systems of two, 
three, or more. (See multiple star.) To most eyes the 
stars appear yellow, but some are relatively pale, others 
chromatic yellow, and still others ruddy. There are many 
ruddy stars in the part of the Galaxy near Lyra. L. M. 
Rutherfurd of New York first showed that in reference to 
their spectral lines the fixed stars fall under several dis- 
tinct types. Type I, according to the usual nomenclature, 
embraces spectra showing strong hydrogen-lines, all others 
being very faint. These belong without exception to pale 
stars, such as Sirius, Vega, Procyon, Altair, Spica, Fomal- 
haut, Regulus, Castor. Type II embraces spectra show- 
ing many strong metallic lines, like the sun. Almost all 
such stars are chrome, as Arcturus, Capella. Aldebarau, 
Pollux ; but a few are pale, as Deneb and Elwaid, and a 
few ruddy. Type III consists of banded spectra, the bands 
shading away toward the red. These stars are all ruddy, 
5905 
triple, quadruple, quintuple, and sextuple. 
double stars are merely the one in range of tile other, 
without having any physical connection, and these are 
called optical doubles. The components of other double- 
stars revolve the one round the other, apparently under the 
influence of gravitation, forming systems known as binartf 
stars. The orbits of about forty of these are known. 
Thus, the two stars of a Centanri, distant from one another 
by 17. "5, revolve in about 80 years. In many cases the two 
components of a double star have complementary colors. 
Nebulous star. See nebula. North star, the north 
polar star. See pole-star, 1. Order of the Star of India 
(in the full style The Moat Kmlteil Order / tlie Ntur / In- 
dia), an order for the British Possessions in India, found t-d 
in IStfl. The mottols, " Heaven's light our guide." The 
ribbon is light-blue with white stripes near the edge. 
Periodic star, a variable star of class II, IV, or V. Po- 
lar star. Same as pole-star, 1. Shooting star, a meteor 
in a state of incandescence seen suddenly darting along 
some part of the sky. See aerolite, meteor, 2, and meteoric. 
-Standard stars. See standard^. Star coral, cu- 
cumber, cut, route. See coral, cucumber, etc. Star- 
Jelly, a name for certain gelatinous algae, as A'ostoc com- 
star-buzzard 
Many of _the s tar-anise (stiir'anls), 11. 1. The aromatic 
fruit of a Chinese shrub or small ti long sup- 
posi'd to be the Illiciinii iiiiistituiH of Linnii'iis. 
hut recently determini ' 1 !<> '" a 'listinct s]ic- 
I'irs, /. rrrinit Oiiitncii by .1. I). Hunker). The 
fruit is a stellate capsule of commonly eight carpels, 
i-arh <>f which contains a sin- 
gle brown shining seed. The 
M'nls .-ontain four pe-r ce-nt. of a 
volatile oil with the odor and 
flavor of aniseed, or rather of 
fennel, star-anise is used in 
China as a condiment and spice, 
and in i-oiitiiR'iital Europe to fla- 
vor liquors. Also Chinese anise. 
2. The tree which yields 
star-anise Star-anise oil, 
the aromatic essential oil of star- 
anise seed. The commercial 
anise-oil is chiefly obtained from 
the star-anise. 
nune: so called originally in the belief that they are the star-apple (stiir'ap*!), H. 
remains of fallen stars. Star of Bethlehem, (a) A The fruit of the West In- 
pilgrim's sign having the form of a star, sometimes like a 
heraldic mullet with six straight rays, sometimes like an 
estoile with wavy rays. (6) See gtar-of<BetMehem. Stars 
and bars, the flag adopted by the Confederate States of 
America, consisting of two broad bars of red separated 
by one of white, with a blue union marked with white 
stars equal in number to the Confederate states. Stars 
and stripes, the flag of the United States, consisting of 
thirteen stripes, equal to the number of theoriginal States, 
dian duT/topkytttM I'nini- 
to, or the tree which pro- 
duces it. The fruit is edible 
and pleasant, of the size of an 
apple, a berry in structure, hav- 
ing ten or eight cells, which, 
when cut across before maturity, give the figure of a star. 
Also called caintto. 
Star-apple (Chrysophytlnm 
the fruit, transverse sec- 
tion. 
_ spectra having 
away toward the blue end. These all belong to very ruddy 
stars, of which none are bright, and none seem to be vari- 
able. Type V consists of spectra showing bright lines. 
Such stars are few ; their magnitudes and colors are vari- 
able. Upon careful comparison of the spectra of stars with 
those of the chemical elements they contain, it is found 
that the lines are shifted a little along the spectrum toward 
one end or the other, according as the star is receding from 
or approaching the earth. The apparent places of the fixed 
stars are affected in recognized ways by diurnal motion, 
precession, nutation, aberration, and refraction. In addi- 
tion, each star has a very slow motion of its own, called 
its proper motion. There are very few cases in which this 
is so great as to have carried the star over the breadth of 
the moon's disk since the beginning of the Christian era. 
Many stars in one neighborhood of the heavens show, in 
many cases, like proper motions a phenomenon first re- 
marked by R. A. Proctor, and termed by him star-drift. 
But the average proper motion of the stars is away from 
a radiant under the left hand of Hercules, showing that 
the solar system has a relative motion toward that point. 
This is sufficient to carry a sixth-magnitude star 4."4 in 
a century. The parallax (that is to say, the amount by 
which the angle at the earth between the star and the sun 
falls short of 90 when the angle at the sun between the 
star and the earth is equal to 90') has been measured only 
for a few stars, and these few have been selected with a 
view of finding the largest parallaxes. That of a. Centau- 
ri, which is the largest, is nearly a second of arc. It is 
so difficult to measure parallax otherwise than relatively, 
and to free its absolute amount from variations of lati- 
tude, diurnal nutation, refraction, etc., that very little can 
be said to be known of the smaller parallaxes. It ap- 
pears, however, that small stars have nearly as great par- 
allaxes as bright ones where the proper motions are not 
large. The various methods of ascertaining the distances 
of the stars depend upon three independent principles. 
The first method is from the parallax, by means of wnlch 
the distance of the star is calculated by trigonometry. 
The second method depends on the ascertaining of the 
speed at which the star is really moving by the shifting 
of the spectral lines, and then observing its angular mo- 
tion. In the case of a double star, its motion in the line 
of sight at elongation can be measured with the spectro- 
scope ; and from this, its orbit being known, its rate of mo- 
tion at conjunction can be deduced. The third method 
supposes the ratio of the amount of light emitted by the 
star to that emitted by the sun to be known in some way, 
whereupon the ratio of apparent light will show the rela- 
tive distances. All these methods show that even the 
nearest stars are hundreds of thousands of times as re- 
mote as the sun. In order to reach more exact results it 
may be necessary to combine two methods so as to deter- 
mine and eliminate the constant of space, or the amount 
by which the sum of the angles of a triangle of unit area 
differs from two right angles. For the present, no de- 
cisive result has been reached. The distances of stars 
having been ascertained, the weights of double stars may 
be deduced from their elongations and periods. These 
weights seem to be of the same order of magnitude as 
that of the sun, not enormously greater or smaller. - 
French Stars, three asterisks arranged in this form **, 
used as a mark of division between different articles in 
print. - Gloaming, golden, informed.lunar, Medlcean 
Star See the adjectives. Lone Star State, the State of 
Texas. Meridian altitude of a star. See altitude. 
Morning star, a planet, as Jupiter or Venus, when it 
rises after midnight. Compare evening star. Multiple 
star, a group of two to six fixed stars within a circle of 
15" radius ; in a few cases, however, stars distant a minute 
or more from one another are considered to form a double 
star. Thus, e and 5 Lyra?, distant from one another up- 
ward of 3', and separable by the naked eye, each of these 
consisting of two components distant about 3J" from one 
another, with some other stars between them, are some- 
times called collectively a nmltipk star. The multiple 
stars are distinguished asdtmWe [tr. of Or. aarrip Siir \oOsl, 
371 
alternately red and white, with a blue union marked with gtarbeam (star'bem), N . A ray of light emitted 
white stars equal to the whole number of States. Star , v - ,,, , m'' if JSM-IB 
service. See -.Oar route, under roufc.-Stone mountain by a star. *, Two Happy Rivals. [] 
star, a name proposed by Meehan for the composite plant star-bearer (star bar"er), . bame as Hethle- 
Qymnolomia Porteri, found only on Stone Mountain in Itemite, 3 (a). 
Georgia.-The seven starst. See Kwn.-Tlie wa- star-blasting (star'blas'ting), H. The perni- 
wf^.fi 8 !. i.-To l Wess a8 one's er stars! See > bless* -To ? ious influence of the stars. Shak., Lear, 
see stars, to have a sensation as of flashes of light, pro- iii. 4. 60. 
duced by a sudden jarring of the head, as by a direct blow, starblind (star'blind), a. [< ME. "starblind, < 
-Variable star, a fixed star whose brightness goes Ag g txr bliitd (= OFries. starblind, stareblind, 
through changes. These stars are of five classes. Class I 'jOjLj nin r> o<^; ;rf Mir .>/ 
comprises the "new "or temporary stars, about a dozen in starubhnd = MD. D. SterMind = MLGL star- 
Hint = OHG. starablint, MHG. starblint, G. star- 
blind = Icel. "starblindr (in starblinda, blind- 
ness) = Sw. starrblind = Dan. starblind, stser- 
blind), < steer (= MD. stcr = MLG. star = OHG. 
stara, MHG. stare, star, G. staar = Sw. starr = 
Dan. steer), cataract of the eyes, + blind, blind : 
see stare^- and blind.] Seeing obscurely, as from 
number, which have suddenly appeared very bright, in 
several cases far outshining Sirius, and after a few months 
have faded almost entirely away. All these stars have 
appeared upon the borders of the following semicircle of 
the Milky Way. They show bright lines in their spectra, 
indicating incandescent hydrogen. Such was the star 
which appeared 133 B. 0. in Scorpio, and led Hipparchus 
to the study of astronomy, thus inaugurating sound physi- 
cal science ; others appeared in 1572, 1604, and 1866. Class 
II embraces stars which go through a cycle of changes, 
cataract: purblind; blinking. 
ore or less regular, in from four to eighteen months, starboard (star'bord or -berd), n. and a. [Early 
going very moderate changes. Class IV embraces stars 
which in a few days, or a month at most, go through 
changes of one or two magnitudes, sometimes with two 
maxima and two minima. Class V embraces stars which 
remain of constant brightness for some time, and then 
almost suddenly, at regular intervals, are nearly extin- 
guished, afterward as quickly regaining their former bril- 
liancy. 
Star 1 (star), v. ; pret. and pp. starred, ppr. star- 
ring. [< star 1 , .] I. trans. 1. (a) To set with 
stars, literally or figuratively. 
Budding, blown, or odour-faded blooms, 
Which star the winds with points of coloured light. 
Shelley, Prometheus Unbound, iii. 3. 
Fresh green turf, starred with dandelions. 
bort, G. steuerbord = Icel. stjornborthi = Sw. 
Dan. styrbord), < steor, a rudder, paddle, + bord, 
side: see steer 1 , n., and board, n. Hence (< 
Teut.) OF. estribord, stribord, F. tribord = Sp. 
estribord, estribor = Pg. estibordo = It. stri- 
bordo, starboard.] I. n. Naut., that side of a 
vessel which is on the right when one faces the 
bow: opposed to port (larboard). See port*. 
He tooke his voyage directly North along the coast, hau- 
ing vpon his steereboord alwayes the desert land, and vpon 
the leereboord the maine Ocean. HaMuyt's Voyages, I. 4. 
II. a. Naut., pertaining to the right-hand side, 
or being or lying on the right side, of a vessel. 
B. Taylor, Northern Travel, p. 231. starboard (star'bord or -berd), i: t. [< star- 
Hence (6) To set with small bright bodies, board, n.'} To turn or put to the right or star- 
as gems, spangles, or the like, (c) To set with 
figures of stars forming a sowing or sprinkle. 
2. To transform into a star or stars; set in 
a constellation. [Rare.] 
Or that ttarr'd Ethiop queen that strove 
To set her beauty's praise above 
The Sea-Nymphs, and their powers offended. 
Milton, II Penseroso, 1. 19. starbowlinest (star'b6"linz), H. pi. 
3. To affix a star or asterisk to (a written or men of the starboard watch, 
printed word) for a distinctive purpose, espe- starbright (star'brit), a. Brilliant; bright as 
cially, in a list, to distinguish the name of a a star. Emerson, The Day's Ration, 
deceased person. [Colloq.] 4. To crack so star-bush (stiir'bush), . A middle-sized South 
oup of radiating lines To African evergreen, Grewia occidentalis. 
board side of a vessel : as, to starboard the helm 
(when it is desired to have the vessel's head go 
to port). 
starboard (star'bord or -berd), adv. [< star- 
board, a.] Toward the right-hand or starboard 
side. Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, ii., 
The Trophies. 
Naut., the 
as to produce a group 
star a glaze, to cut out a pane of glass. Tufts, Glossary, star-buzzard (star 'buz" ard), n. 
1798. [Thieves' jargon.] 
II. intrans. 1. To shine as a star; be bril- 
liant or prominent; shine above others; spe- 
cifically (tkeat.), to appear as a star actor. 
Doggett . . . had been playing for a week [1699] at the 
above [Lincoln's Inn Fields] theatre for the sum of 30. 
This is the first instance I know of the starring system. 
Doran, Annals of the Stage, I. 186. 
2. In the game of pool, to buy an additional 
life or lives. Encyc. Brit., III. 677. [Eng.] 
To Star it (theat.), to appear as a star, especially in a pro- 
vincial tour. 
star 2 (star), n. [Also starr; Heb. (Chal.) shetar, 
shtar, a writing, deed, or contract, < stidtar, cut 
in, grave, write.] An ancient name for all 
deeds, releases, or obligations of the Jews, and 
also for a schedule or inventory. See star- 
eliamber. Also spelled starr. 
Star-animal (star'an*i-mal), . A radiate, es- 
pecially a starfish. 
An Ameri- 
can buteonine 
hawk of the ge- 
nus Asturinu, 
having a sys- 
tem of colora- 
tion similar to 
that of the gos- 
hawks or star- 
the 
of the 
buzzards. The 
star-buzzards are a 
small group of 
handsome hawks 
peculiar to Ameri- 
ca. The gray star- 
buzzard, Asturina 
plagiata, is found 
in the United 
States. 
Gray St.ii-buzzard (Asturina ftafiata). 
