The Number Of Stars We Can See.

THE NUMBER OF STARS WE CAN SEE .

This interesting account of the starry heavens , intended for a younger auditory we think suitable to older children , and we take it Avith pleasure from " The Young Folks ' Weekly Budget " : — In a clear ni ght how many stars can one

see with the naked eye 1 This is a question Avhich is easier to ask them than to answer . How , the reader may ask , can any one count those myriads of glittering points which , during a cloudless and moonless ni ght , make of the heavens an azure

screen streAvn with diamonds ? Who can keep hio way among those shining sparks 1 When we first think of this question , Ave have a notion that the number of stars to be seen is innumerable Ave are

; almost sure to estimate the number at hundreds of thousands , or even at millions . Yet nothing can be farther from the truth . In Egypt , indeed , and in some parts of

Asia , Avhere the sky is very clear , many more stars can be seen in the same part of the heavens than the best eye can see in Europe or America . In Europe the keenest observer , when he is accustomed to Avatching the stars ,

and does not alloAv the smallest of those within reach of the naked eye to escape him , does not see , at the most , above four thousand at one time and on the same horizon ; and , as one can see half of the heavenly sphere in this way , the number

of stars in the Avhole sk y , which can be seen by the unassisted eye , Avill amount to eight thousand at most . Some thirty years ago , Anglander , a distinguished German astronomer , the director of the observatory at

Bonnpub-, lished a catalogue of all the stars visible to the naked eye , during the course of a year , under the horizon of Berlin , and this catalogue contained only three thousand two hundred and fifty-six stars .

According to Humboldt , four thousand one hundred ancl forty-six stars can be seen at Paris . This is because Paris is situated farther to the south than Berlin . The nearer Ave approach the equator the larger is the number of stars to be seen , though the number visible above ths horizon at any one time is no greater than before . At the equator the entire sky is

spread out before the observer , from one pole to the other ; and in the space of twelve hours , if neither twilig ht nor dawn should impede the observation , one might see the Avhole starry sphere . About two years ago another German

astronomer , Heis , published a work similar to that of Anglander . His catalogue is more complete , ancl contains more than two thousand stars not found in Anglancler ' s Avork . It appears that Heis's sight was much more iercing than that of his

prep decessor ; and it is probable that few persons could see as many stars as Avere seen by Heis . This astronomer saw and catalogued one thousand nine hundred and sixty-four very small stars , betAveen the sixth and seventh magnitude- —too small

to be visible to any but the keenest sight . He noted in all , with the naked eye , five thousand four hundred and tAventy-one stars , three thousand nine hundred aud sixty-eight of which Avere in the northern part of the heai'eus . Admitting an equal

number for the southern hemisphere , a zone of which was naturally concealed from him , Ave have seven thousand nine hundred and thirty-six , or , in round numbers , eight thousand stars for the entire heavens .

Thus , as Ave can see , Ave are far from the myriads , or the hundreds of thousands , the millions of stars which one so naturally imagines he can see in a clear , moonlight nighc . But Avith the telescope these prodig ious numbers are indeed found . In any point

of the heaA'ens . where one can see no more than five or six stars , a good telescope enables us to count several thousands ; and the more the magnifying power of the glasses is increased , the larger is the number of stars seen .

NOAV let us remember this : each one of these luminous points is a sun ; each of those sparks lights a Avhole system of worlds . So much has science , by dint of great labour , succeeded in discovering . But this earth of ours , Avhich seems so

large to us , from Avhich so many Avonders can be seen , IIOAV many , among these innumerable stars , even suspect its existence i From how many stars is it visibie 1 Of all the stars , there are twentythree or tAventy-four of the largest and brightest that are said to be of the first magnitude ; fifty or sixty are of the