Wollaston affirms that the apparent diameter of the most brilliant star in the heavens, Sirius, is not more than the fiftieth part of a second of an arc. But let us hasten to say that this result still leaves a good margin as to the real dimensions of the star, since, at the distance of Sirius, an apparent diameter would represent a real diameter of 11,000,000 miles; that is, twelve times the diameter of our sun.

Let us add, lastly, that the absence of appreciable dimensions does not suffice to distinguish absolutely the stars from the planets, since a certain number of the latter, as we have before seen, appear in telescopes only as simple luminous points. Let us come, then, to a permanent specific characteristic, the knowledge of which will always prevent us from confounding a star with one of the known or unknown bodies which form part of our solar group. This characteristic is as follows:

The stars, properly so called, preserve among themselves—nearly enough for our present purpose—the same relative distances. They form, then, on the celestial vault apparent groups, the configuration of which is nearly invariable. Centuries must elapse to show a change of form, unless we employ extremely delicate measures. A planet, on the contrary, moves rapidly across these groups, to such a degree that, in the interval of a night, or at most of a few nights, this displacement is very perceptible; hence the old denomination of fixed stars, in opposition to the wandering ones, or planets.

We must be careful, however, to guard against assigning to this word a rigidity which it does not possess, for the stars really move with a velocity not inferior to that which animates the members of our system. Their immense distance is the only cause of their apparent immobility, which vanishes when precise observations, embracing a sufficient interval of time—some years, for example—are made.

A fact which strikes every one is the great diversity of brightness in the stars which people the heavens. All degrees of intensity are remarked, from the resplendent light of Sirius to the scarcely perceptible glimmer of those hardly visible to the naked eye.

Whence arises this difference of brightness? This question we can not answer for any star in particular, but it is easy to imagine that it may result from various circumstances, such as their less or greater distance, the real and various dimensions of the bodies, and, lastly, the intrinsic brightness of the light peculiar to each. However this may be, astronomers without regard to the unknown causes which may influence the intensity of the stellar light, have divided stars into classes or magnitudes; and when we speak of a star of the first, second, or fifth magnitude, it is understood that this way of speaking refers only to the apparent brightness, and that nothing is affirmed either as to the real dimensions or distance, or even intrinsic brightness.

Besides, as the stars, arranged in the order of their brightness, would form a progression decreasing by imperceptible degrees, the classes adopted are themselves conventional and arbitrary. The first six magnitudes comprise all stars visible to the naked eye. But the use of the most powerful telescopes brings to view stars of feebler light, descending to the sixteenth and seventeenth magnitudes. In truth, the progression has no inferior limit: it extends more and more in proportion as the progress of the optician’s art increases the penetrating power of our instruments.

To gain an idea of the respective intensities of the light emitted by the stars of the first six magnitudes, following the scale adopted by astronomers, the accompanying illustration (Fig. 1), should be inspected; in it the stars are figured by disks, the surfaces of which are in proportion to their brilliancy.

But, we repeat, it must not be thought that the stars ranked in the same class are, on that account, of the same brightness. Thus the light of Sirius is estimated at four times the star Alpha Centauri; but both, nevertheless, are included by astronomers in the number of the stars of the first magnitude.