162 
EASTMAN. 
called attention to the phenomena, and one hundred and 
six years since the first serious investigation, by Herschel, of 
the suspected motion of the stars and the solar system in 
space, and yet the problem is not completely solved. 
It has been proven beyond all doubt that certain phe¬ 
nomena known as stellar proper motions exist. They have 
been explained by assuming; first, the translation of the solar 
system through space at a high velocity; second, the mo¬ 
tions of the stars themselves; and, third, a combination of 
both solar and stellar motions. 
It has been shown very conclusively that the solar system 
has a motion of translation through space, and the general 
direction of this motion is known within narrow limits. 
But this alone will not explain all the observed pheno'mena. 
If the solar system were moving towards some definite point 
in the heavens, and the stars had no motion of their own, 
then the angular distances, between the stars about the ob¬ 
jective point, would increase as the sun, with the earth, grad¬ 
ually approached them, while the intervals between the stars,, 
in the opposite quarter of the heavens, would correspond¬ 
ingly decrease. At the same time, stars, situated 90° from 
the line of the solar motion would have an apparent move¬ 
ment directly opposite to the sun’s real motion. 
These phenomena are observed in the case of some stars,, 
but not in all. It is observed also, that whole groups of 
stars, as well as isolated ones, in the same portion of the 
heavens, move in opposite, or, at least, divergent directions, 
and the inference is unavoidable that the stars, as well as 
the sun, have their own peculiar motions of translation. If 
the problem ended here, we could count on having made 
substantial progress. But for further advance in this research, 
it is necessary to know the distances of the stars from the 
solar system. Here, alas! the astronomer is working with 
the infinitely short arm of the lever. Many assumptions 
have been made, and many shrewd inferences have been 
drawn, but still we have almost no actual knowledge of 
stellar distances. It is certain that some well known stars 
