Measurement of the Distances of the Stars ¹

Abstract

FOR the lecture in honour and memory of Edward Halley, which it is my privilege to deliver this year, I have chosen an account of the persistent efforts made by astronomers to measure the distances of the fixed stars. For many generations their attempts were unsuccessful, though some of them led to great and unexpected discoveries. It is less than eighty years ago that the distances of two or three of the nearest stars were determined with any certainty. The number was added to, slowly at first, but afterwards at a greater rate, and now that large telescopes are available and photographic methods have been developed, we may expect that in the next few years very rapid progress will be made.