The sun and the stars are one. Try to realize this distinctly, and keep it in mind. I find it often difficult to drive this idea home. After some talk on the subject a friendly auditor will report, "the lecturer then described the stars, including that greatest and most magnificent of all stars, the sun." It would be difficult more completely to misapprehend the entire statement. When I say the sun is one of the stars, I mean one among the others; we are a long way from them, they are a long way from each other. They need be no more closely packed among each other than we are closely packed among them; except that some of them are double or multiple, and we are not double.
It is highly desirable to acquire an intimate knowledge of the constellations and a nodding acquaintance with their principal stars. A description of their peculiarities is dull and uninteresting unless they are at least familiar by name. A little vivâ voce help to begin with, supplemented by patient night scrutiny with a celestial globe or star maps under a tent or shed, is perhaps the easiest way: a very convenient instrument for the purpose of learning the constellations is the form of map called a "planisphere," because it can be made to show all the constellations visible at a given time at a given date, and no others. The Greek alphabet also is a thing that should be learnt by everybody. The increased difficulty in teaching science owing to the modern ignorance of even a smattering of Greek is becoming grotesque. The stars are named from their ancient grouping into constellations, and by the prefix of a Greek letter to the larger ones, and of numerals to the smaller ones. The biggest of all have special Arabic names as well. The brightest stars are called of "the first magnitude," the next are of "the second magnitude," and so on. But this arrangement into magnitudes has become technical and precise, and intermediate or fractional magnitudes are inserted. Those brighter than the ordinary first magnitude are therefore now spoken of as of magnitude ½, for instance, or ·6, which is rather confusing. Small telescopic stars are often only named by their numbers in some specified catalogue—a dull but sufficient method.
Here is a list of the stars visible from these latitudes, which are popularly considered as of the first magnitude. All of them should be familiarly recognized in the heavens, whenever seen.
| Star. | Constellation. |
| Sirius | Canis major |
| Procyon | Canis minor |
| Rigel | Orion |
| Betelgeux | Orion |
| Castor | Gemini |
| Pollux | Gemini |
| Aldebaran | Taurus |
| Arcturus | Boötes |
| Vega | Lyra |
| Capella | Auriga |
| Regulus | Leo |
| Altair | Aquila |
| Fomalhaut | Southern Fish |
| Spica | Virgo |
α Cygni is a little below the first magnitude. So, perhaps, is Castor. In the southern heavens, Canopus and α Centauri rank next after Sirius in brightness.
Fig. 91.—Diagram illustrating Parallax.