[alpha] Centauri in its path
in the heavens, and which, in any case, lies at the same distance from
the earth, or somewhat nearer. It is not possible at present to decide
with accuracy whether _Proxima Centauri_--as the star is called by
INNES--or [alpha] Centauri is our nearest neighbour. Then comes
BARNARD's star (175204), whose large proper motion we have already
mentioned. As No. 5 we find Sirius, as No. 8 Procyon, as No. 21 Altair.
The others are of the third magnitude or fainter. No. 10--61 Cygni--is
especially interesting, being the first star for which the astronomers,
after long and painful endeavours in vain, have succeeded in determining
the distance with the help of the annual parallax (BESSEL 1841).

From column 4 we find that the distribution of these stars on the sky is
tolerably uniform, as might have been predicted. All these stars have a
large proper motion, this being in the mean 3".42 per year. This was a
priori to be expected from their great proximity. The radial velocity
is, numerically, greater than could have been supposed. This fact is
probably associated with the generally small mass of these stars.

Their apparent magnitude is upon an average 6.3. The brightest of the
near stars is Sirius (_m_ = -1.6), the faintest Proxima Centauri (_m_ =
11). Through the systematic researches of the astronomers we may be sure
that no bright stars exist at a distance smaller than one siriometer,
for which the distance is not already known and well determined. The
following table contains without doubt--we may call them briefly all
_near_ stars--all stars within one siriometer from us with an apparent
magnitude brighter than 6m (the table has 8 such stars), and probably
also all near stars brighter than 7m (10 stars), or even all brighter
than the eighth magnitude (the table has 13 such stars and two near the
limit). Regarding the stars of the eighth magnitude or fainter no
systematic investigations of the annual parallax have been made and
among these stars we may get from time to time a new star belonging to
the siriometer sphere in the neighbourhood of the sun. To determine
the total number of stars within this sphere is one of the fundamental
problems in stellar statistics, and to this question I shall return
immediately.

TABLE 5.

_THE NEAREST STARS._

[Transcriber's Note: To conserve space (ad) is used in place of
([alpha][delta]).]

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