Statistical methods and results in analysing star-fields and star-configurations

S t a r f i e l d s have i~media te s i g n i f i c a n c e f o r wide f i e l d s of a s t r o n o m i c a l r e s e a r c h work. Beside d i r e c t a s t r o p h y s i c a l q u e s t i o n s t h e s e a r e s t a r d i s t r i b u t i o n s , c o n f i g u r a t i o n s ( c l u s t e r s , a s s o c i a t i o n s , c o n g l o m e r a t i o n s , s t a r c h a i n s , n e b u l a e , g a l a x i e s ) , and l a s t bu t no t l e a s t p r o p e r mot ion f i e l d s . S t a r f i e l d s a r e n o t h i n g o t h e r than two-d imens lona l p o i n t d i s t r l b u t l o n s w i th c e r t a i n more or l e s s w e l l d e f i n e d s t r u c t u r e s , a t l e a s t a t f i r s t s i g h t ; and t h i s i s t he problem a rea of t h i s pape r .