History of Astronomy |
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Page 10
China. – It would appear that Fohi, the first emperor, reigned about 2952 B.C.,
and shortly afterwards Yu-Chi made a sphere to represent the motions of the
celestial bodies. It is also mentioned, in the book called Chu-King, supposed to
have ...
China. – It would appear that Fohi, the first emperor, reigned about 2952 B.C.,
and shortly afterwards Yu-Chi made a sphere to represent the motions of the
celestial bodies. It is also mentioned, in the book called Chu-King, supposed to
have ...
Page 15
The Phoenicians are supposed to have used the stars for navigation, but there
are no records. The Egyptian priests tried to keep such astronomical knowledge
as they possessed to themselves. It is probable that they had arbitrary rules for ...
The Phoenicians are supposed to have used the stars for navigation, but there
are no records. The Egyptian priests tried to keep such astronomical knowledge
as they possessed to themselves. It is probable that they had arbitrary rules for ...
Page 17
He supposed the earth to be flat, and to float upon water. He determined the ratio
of the sun's diameter to its orbit, and apparently made out the diameter correctly
as half a decree. He left nothing in writing. His successors, Anaximander ...
He supposed the earth to be flat, and to float upon water. He determined the ratio
of the sun's diameter to its orbit, and apparently made out the diameter correctly
as half a decree. He left nothing in writing. His successors, Anaximander ...
Page 18
nothing, but is supposed to have said that the earth, moon, five planets, and fixed
stars all revolve round the sun, which itself revolves round an imaginary central
fire called the Antichthon. Copernicus in the sixteenth century claimed ...
nothing, but is supposed to have said that the earth, moon, five planets, and fixed
stars all revolve round the sun, which itself revolves round an imaginary central
fire called the Antichthon. Copernicus in the sixteenth century claimed ...
Page 20
Nicetas, Heraclides, and Ecphantes supposed the earth to revolve on its axes,
but to have no orbital motion. The short epitome so far given illustrates the
extraordinary deductive methods adopted by the ancient Greeks. But they went
much ...
Nicetas, Heraclides, and Ecphantes supposed the earth to revolve on its axes,
but to have no orbital motion. The short epitome so far given illustrates the
extraordinary deductive methods adopted by the ancient Greeks. But they went
much ...
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accurate Airy ancient Astronomer Royal astronomical units bright calculations Cape catalogue centre century Chaldaeans Chinese comet Copernicus diameter discovered discovery earth Egyptian epicycles equatorial error excentric explain fact fixed stars Galileo Greenwich Halley heavenly bodies heavens heliometer Hipparchus History of Astronomy Huggins instruments JOHANNEs KEPLER John Herschel Jupiter Jupiter's Kepler Laplace Lick Observatory light line of apses line of sight lunar Mars mathematical mean distance measured ment Mercury meteor miles a second moon nebulae Newton º º observations Observatory orbit parallax period photographic physical planet planetary pole position predicted proper motion proved Ptolemy R. S. Phil records refractor retrograde retrograde motion revolving round ring rotation satellites Saturn seems showing Sir William Herschel Sirius solar eclipse solar system spectra spectroscope spectrum sphere spots stellar sun-spot supposed tables telescope theory tion Trans Tycho Brahe universal gravitation Uranus velocity Venus Verrier
Popular passages
Page 67 - that every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle, with a force whose direction is that of the line joining the two, and whose magnitude is directly as the product of their masses, and inversely as the square of their distances from each other.
Page 26 - So he sate and cunningly guided the craft with the helm, nor did sleep fall upon his eyelids, as he viewed the Pleiads and Bootes, that setteth late, and the Bear, which they likewise call the Wain, which turneth ever in one place, and keepeth watch upon Orion, and alone hath no part, in the baths of Ocean. This star, Calypso, the fair goddess, bade him to keep ever on the left as he traversed the deep.
Page 53 - The third, viz. that the squares of the periodic times are proportional to the cubes of the mean distances...
Page 79 - Wherefore if according to what we have already said it should return again about the year 1758, candid posterity will not refuse to acknowledge that this was first discovered by an Englishman.
Page 122 - ... They have not been regarded as so successful as his geometrical analysis of the observed phenomena. It is only just to add that he himself did not attach equal weight to them ; for in answer to objections urged by Lalande to his theory that the spots are depressions, Wilson wrote thus in 1783 : — ' Whether their first production and subsequent numberless changes depend upon the eructation of elastic vapours from below, or upon eddies or whirlpools commencing at the surface, or upon the dissolving...
Page 51 - He then said boldly that it was impossible that so good an observer as Tycho could be wrong by eight minutes* and added, " out of these eight minutes we will construct a new theory that will explain the motions of all the planets.