The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lectures on Stellar Statistics, by
Carl Vilhelm Ludvig Charlier

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Title: Lectures on Stellar Statistics

Author: Carl Vilhelm Ludvig Charlier

Release Date: July 27, 2007 [EBook #22157]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LECTURES ON STELLAR STATISTICS ***

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[Transcriber's Note: This text is intended for users whose text readers
cannot use the "real" (unicode/utf-8) version of the file. Characters in
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describe intermediate stellar colours.

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LECTURES
ON STELLAR STATISTICS

BY

C. V. L. CHARLIER

SCIENTIA PUBLISHER
LUND 1921

HAMBURG 1921
PRINTED BY _LUeTCKE & WULFF_

CHAPTER I.

APPARENT ATTRIBUTES OF THE STARS.

1. Our knowledge of the stars is based on their _apparent_ attributes,
obtained from the astronomical observations. The object of astronomy is
to deduce herefrom the real or _absolute_ attributes of the stars, which
are their position in space, their movement, and their physical nature.

The apparent attributes of the stars are studied by the aid of their
_radiation_. The characteristics of this radiation may be described in
different ways, according as the nature of the light is defined.
(Undulatory theory, Emission theory.)

From the statistical point of view it will be convenient to consider the
radiation as consisting of an emanation of small particles from the
radiating body (the star). These particles are characterized by certain
attributes, which may differ in degree from one particle to another.
These attrib