Be as were not comprehended under any constellations, were then called informes, sporades, or unformed stars. The modern astronomers have reduced not these informes only, but many other stars, into new figures; and it is probable that other constellations will still continue to be invented. Tycho Brahe, a noble Dane, was the first who determined with exactness the situations of the fixed stars. After Tycho, we must mention Bayer as the author of a very considerable improvement in the catalogues of stars. sides accurately distinguishing the relative size and situation of each star, he marked the stars in each constellation with the letters of the Greek and Roman alphabets, setting the first Greek letter to the first or principal star in each constellation, ẞ to the second in order; then, when the Greek alphabet was gone over, he passed to a, b, c, of the Roman; and so on. This useful method of noting and describing the stars has been adopted by all astronomers since the time of Bayer; and they have farther enlarged it, by adding the ordinal numbers 1, 2, 3, &c. when any constellation contains more stars than can be marked by the two alphabets. Besides these literal and numeral marks, many of the stars have their peculiar names, as Arcturus, Aldebaran, Procyon, Sirius, Capella, Regulus, &c. α 70. The Via lactea, Galaxy, or Milky Way, may also be reckoned under the head of constellations; for it is now known to be a collection of innumerable little fixed stars, too small to be observed without telescopes of considerable magnifying powers. This galaxy is a lightish, milk-coloured zone, vary. ing in breadth from 4° to 20°, or on the average about 10°. It passes through cassiopeia, perseus, auriga, the feet of gemini, orion's club, part of monoceros, the tail of canis major, through argo navis, robur carolinum, crux, and the feet of the centaur : after which, it is divided into two parts; its eastern part passes through ara, the tail of scorpio, the eastern foot of serpentarius, the bow of sagittarius, scutum sobiescianum, the feet of antinous and cygnus; but the western part passes through the upper part of the tail of scorpio, the right of serpentarius and cygnus, and ends its course in cassiopeia. 71. The following tables exhibit the names of the constellations, and the number of stars in each, including all those to the sixth magnitude. They also contain the names of some of the most remarkable stars, standing against the constellations in which they are included. In these tables, the constellations which have the mark * against them, are modern ones, the others, ancient. The figures placed against the principal stars denote their magnitudes. IV. Number of Stars of cach Magnitude. Isti zd Magnitudes. 1st 2d 3d4th 5th 6th Total. Constellations in the Zodiac 12 516 44120 183 646 1014) In the Northern Hemisphere 33 624 95200291 635 1251 In the Southern Hemisphere 45 936 84190221 323 865 |201762235120951604 3130! 72. It may be asked, by what means are we to know the stars and constellations in the heavens? In answer to this enquiry various methods might be pointed out; but perhaps one of the best is, to fix a good celestial globe, on which the constellations and stars are accurately depicted, in such a direction that the |