lass of star, and constitutes the centre
of the system to which the Earth belongs. Reasoning from analogy, it
would be natural to conclude that there are other suns, numberless
beyond conception, the centres of systems of revolving worlds, and
although we are utterly unable to catch a glimpse of their planetary
attendants, even with the aid of the most powerful telescopes, yet they
have in a few instances been _felt_, and have afforded unmistakable
indications of their existence.

Since the Sun must be regarded as one of the stellar multitude that
people the regions of space, and whose surpassing splendour when
contrasted with that of other luminaries can be accounted for by his
proximity to us, it would be of interest to ascertain his relative
importance when compared with other celestial orbs which may be his
peers or his superiors in magnitude and brilliancy.

The Sun is one of a widely scattered group of stars situated in the
plane of the Milky Way and surrounded by that zone, and, as a star among
the stars, would be included in the constellation of the Centaur.

Although regarded as one of the leading orbs of the firmament, and of
supreme importance to us, astronomers are undecided whether to classify
the Sun with stars of greater magnitude and brightness, or assign him a
position among minor orbs of smaller size. Much uncertainty exists with
regard to star magnitudes. This arises from inability on the part of
astronomers to ascertain the distances of the vast majority of stars
visible to the naked eye, and also on account of inequality in their
intrinsic brilliancy. Among the stars there exists an indefinite range
of stellar magnitudes. There are many stars known whose dimensions have
been ascertained to greatly exceed those of the Sun, and there are
others of much smaller size. No approximation of the magnitude of
telescopic stars can be arrived at; many of them may rival Sirius,
Canopus, and Arcturus, in size and splendour, their apparent minuteness
being a consequence of their extreme remoteness. If the Sun were removed
a distance in space equal to that of many of the brightest stars, he
would in appearance be reduced to a minute point of light or become
altogether invisible; and there are other stars, situated at distances
still more remote, of which sufficient is known to justify us in
arriving at the conclusion that the Sun must be ranked among the minor
orbs of the firmament, and that many of the stars su