STAR, in Astronomy, a general name for all the heavenly bodies, which, like so many brilliant studs, are dispersed throughout the whole heavens. The stars are distinguished, from the phenomena of their motion, &c. into fixed, and erratic or wandering stars: these last are again distinguished into the greater luminaries, viz. the sun and moon; the planets, or wandering stars, properly so called, and the comets; which have been all fully considered and explained under the article ASTRONOMY. As to the fixed stars, they are so called, because they seem to be fixed, or perfectly at rest, and consequently appear always at the same distance from each other.
Falling Stars, in Meteorology, fiery meteors which dart through the sky in form of a star. See METEOR.
Twinkling of the Stars. See OPTICS.