The Study of Astronomy, adapted to the capacities of youth / In twelve familiar dialogues, between a tutor and his pupil: explaining the general phænomena of the heavenly bodies, the theory of the tides, &c.

by teacher of astronomy John Stedman

Tutor. Most certainly. The feeble light with which they shine is not sufficient to cause such an appearance.

Pupil. Have the stars then light in themselves?

Tutor. They undoubtedly shine with their own native light, or we should not see even the nearest of them: the distance being so immensely great, that if a cannon-ball were to travel from it to the sun, with the same velocity with which it left the cannon, it would be more than 1 million, 868 thousand years, before it reached it.[^[9]]

Pupil. This is wonderful indeed! what then are they supposed to be?

Tutor. Suns.

Pupil. Suns! the fixed stars suns!

Tutor. Yes, suns.

“One sun by day, by night ten thousand shine.”

And what will increase your astonishment, each of them is the center of a system of planets, which move round him.[^[10]]

“Observe how system into system runs.”