The Children's Book of Stars

by G. E. Mitton

THE DOG

WITH 12 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS IN
COLOUR BY J. WILLIAMSON
PRICE 6s.

'A true life history, written "out of the fulness of first-hand knowledge" by an author who is thoroughly acquainted with all the ways of "the friend of man."'—Glasgow Herald.

'The story is admirably told in clear and fascinating language.'—Freeman's Journal.

A. & C. Black. Soho Square. London, W.

AGENTS
AMERICA	THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK
CANADA	THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. 27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO
INDIA	MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD. MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY 309 BOW BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA

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PREFACE

It was the intention of the late Agnes Clerke to write the preface to this 'Children's Book of Stars.' Miss Clerke took a warm and sympathetic interest in the authoress and her work, but her lamented death occurred before this kindly intention could be fulfilled.

I cannot pretend to write adequately as her substitute, but I could not resist the appeal made to me by the author, in the name and for the sake of her dear friend and mine, to write a few words of introduction.

I am in no way responsible either for the plan or for any portion of this work, but I can commend it as a book, written in a simple and pleasant style, calculated to awaken the interest of intelligent children, and to enable parents otherwise ignorant or astronomy to answer many of those puzzling questions which such children often put.

DAVID GILL.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

This little work is the outcome of many suggestions on the part of friends who were anxious to teach their small children something of the marvels of the heavens, but found it exceedingly difficult to get hold of a book wherein the intense fascination of the subject was not lost in conventional phraseology—a book in which the stupendous facts were stated in language simple enough to be read aloud to a child without paraphrase.

Whatever merit there may be in the present work is due entirely to my friend Agnes Clerke, the well-known writer on astronomy; the faults are all my own. She gave me the impetus to begin by her warm encouragement, and she helped me to continue by hearing every chapter read as it was written, and by discussing its successor and making suggestions for it. Thus she heard the whole book in MS. A week after the last chapter had been read to her I started on a journey lasting many months, and while I was in the Far East the news reached me of her death, by which the world is the poorer. For her sake, as he has stated, her friend Sir David Gill, K.C.B., kindly undertook to supply the missing preface.

G. E. MITTON.

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CONTENTS

	CHAPTER I	PAGE
	THE EARTH	[1]
	CHAPTER II
	HANGING IN SPACE	[13]
	CHAPTER III
	THE SHINING MOON	[21]
	CHAPTER IV
	THE EARTH'S BROTHERS AND SISTER	[32]
	CHAPTER V
	FOUR SMALL WORLDS	[48]
	CHAPTER VI
	FOUR LARGE WORLDS	[67]
	CHAPTER VII
	THE SUN	[89]
	CHAPTER VIII
	SHINING VISITORS	[103]
	CHAPTER IX
	SHOOTING STARS AND FIERY BALLS	[120]
	CHAPTER X
	THE GLITTERING HEAVENS	[135]
	CHAPTER XI
	THE CONSTELLATIONS	[148]
	CHAPTER XII
	WHAT THE STARS ARE MADE OF	[159]
	CHAPTER XIII
	RESTLESS STARS	[170]
	CHAPTER XIV
	THE COLOURS OF THE STARS	[176]
	CHAPTER XV
	TEMPORARY AND VARIABLE STARS	[188]
	CHAPTER XVI
	STAR CLUSTERS AND NEBULÆ	[197]

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ILLUSTRATIONS

PRINTED IN COLOUR

THE MOON-CHILD MUST KEEP ON RUNNING ROUND HER	[Frontispiece]
	PAGE
THE EARTH AND MOON HANGING IN SPACE	[16]
THE ENGLISH SUMMER AND WINTER	[40]
JUPITER AND ONE OF HIS MOONS	[70]
THE PLANET SATURN AND TWO OF HIS MOONS	[78]
FLAMES FROM THE SUN	[100]
THE COMET IN THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY	[104]
A STICK THRUST INTO THE WATER APPEARS CROOKED	[114]
CONSTELLATIONS NEAR THE POLE STAR	[150]
ORION AND HIS NEIGHBOURS	[154]
THE SPECTRUM OF THE SUN AND SIRIUS	[168]

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ILLUSTRATIONS

IN BLACK AND WHITE

	PAGE
THE MOON	[24]
AN ECLIPSE OF THE MOON	[28]
AN ECLIPSE OF THE SUN	[29]
THE MOON RAISING THE TIDES	[30]
COMPARATIVE SIZES OF THE PLANETS	[35]
DIFFERENT PHASES OF VENUS	[51]
ORBITS OF MARS, THE EARTH, VENUS, AND MERCURY	[55]
MAP OF MARS	[56]
ORBITS OF THE EARTH AND MARS	[63]
JUPITER AND HIS PRINCIPAL MOONS	[72]
SUN-SPOTS	[98]
A GREAT COMET	[118]
THE GREAT NEBULA IN ANDROMEDA	[202]

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