An introduction to astronomy: designed as a text-book for the use of students in college. By Denison Olmsted ...

272,z VI~clItX) Sl'AllS S.
stellations are somlntimles foiunded oln a supposed resemblance
to tlhe objects to vwhicll thle namles belong; as the Swan 7and
the Scorplioln were evidently so denominated firom their liike,
ncss to thlose animalsl; but ill lmost cases it is impl)ossible tfor llS
to find any reason for designating a constellationl b1y tll figue
of the anlimltl or the hero wlichl is employed to rlpr'scnt it.
Thellcs rcprlcsentationls were probably once blended Avitl tlhe
fables of pagan mythology. The salic figures, absurd:ts Ithey
al)pear, are still rtainlcd forl the convenience of rcflerencc
since it is elasy to finlll any partlticular star, b)y specitfitnl thlc
lpart o' tie figpure to wllich it belongs, as when we s ay a sttr is;
in the 1neck( of 1'mIIta Is, il thlie klne of JI [1erIlls, or ill thein tail tof
tihe Great Bllar. This, method firnishie s a general cluc t( its
position; butt the stars belonging to any constellation arll distinguishled accor(dilig to their apparent magnitudes, as fillows
first:, )by the Greekk letters, Alphla, lcta I, lamnla, tc. Tlllus
Orionvis, denotes tile lartgest star in Orionll, 0 AIndromede, tilm
seconl(l star in An dromedat and y /;eoZs, thl thir'd )riit'ltt;
star ill the ]lion. Where tihe lnuml)ber of ltCi Grck lettelrs izs
insulllicinllt to include all the stars iln a constellation, Crecourse
is had to the letters of the Roman atpltabet, a, b, c, &c.; andt
ill cases iwer thes are exhltausted the final resort is to Illlnilbeors. Thlis is evidently necessary, since the I largest coistellationts contain any lhun ldreds or even thousands of stars. (/iital(otes of particular stars have also bccn publishedl by d(ifelvent
asthron0om emis, each alttor n lllmberilng the individual starns inbracedt ill lis list, according to the )laces thley respectively
occu)py in the catalogue. These rcferences to particular c ata1ogu0es are soimetinies cnitercd onl large celestial glol)es. tI'lus
we meett withl a star marked 84t Il., meaning thlat tltis is its
number ill 11erschel's cataloguel ol 1-40 AL., denoting the place
tlhe sttar Occupies in the catalogue of AMayer.
41t 2. The earliest catalogue of the stars'was made by Illipl)ar'clhus, of thIe Alexandrian s-chool, about 140 ycars btrfo(1 t}lc
(Clhristian Cra. A new star a)p)eariing ill the firln1Lamnt) ] wa(t
inullced to count the stars andi to record their positions, ill order
thllat posterity mtigt t >be able to judge of tlle pleiImanclellicy of )itle
conlstcllatiois. I[1is catalogue e(otalins all that were consplticoI.s to tle ltaked eye in tthe latitude of Alexandria, bcin,:.