Clerke, the well-known writer on astronomy; the faults are
all my own. She gave me the impetus to begin by her warm encouragement,
and she helped me to continue by hearing every chapter read as it was
written, and by discussing its successor and making suggestions for it.
Thus she heard the whole book in MS. A week after the last chapter had
been read to her I started on a journey lasting many months, and while
I was in the Far East the news reached me of her death, by which the
world is the poorer. For her sake, as he has stated, her friend Sir
David Gill, K.C.B., kindly undertook to supply the missing preface.

G. E. MITTON.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I PAGE

THE EARTH 1

CHAPTER II

HANGING IN SPACE 13

CHAPTER III

THE SHINING MOON 21

CHAPTER IV

THE EARTH'S BROTHERS AND SISTER 32

CHAPTER V

FOUR SMALL WORLDS 48

CHAPTER VI

FOUR LARGE WORLDS 67

CHAPTER VII

THE SUN 89

CHAPTER VIII

SHINING VISITORS 103

CHAPTER IX

SHOOTING STARS AND FIERY BALLS 120

CHAPTER X

THE GLITTERING HEAVENS 135

CHAPTER XI

THE CONSTELLATIONS 148

CHAPTER XII

WHAT THE STARS ARE MADE OF 159

CHAPTER XIII

RESTLESS STARS 170

CHAPTER XIV

THE COLOURS OF THE STARS 176

CHAPTER XV

TEMPORARY AND VARIABLE STARS 188

CHAPTER XVI

STAR CLUSTERS AND NEBULAE 197

ILLUSTRATIONS

PRINTED IN COLOUR

THE MOON-CHILD MUST KEEP ON RUNNING ROUND HER _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE

THE EARTH AND MOON HANGING IN SPACE 16

THE ENGLISH SU