THE STORY OF THE HEAVENS

THE STORY OF THE HEAVENS PLATE I. THE PLANET SATURN, IN 1872. THE Story of the Heavens SIR ROBERT STAWELL BALL, LL.D. D.Sc. Author of "Star-Land" FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, HONORARY FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH, FELLOW OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, SCIENTIFIC ADVISER TO THE COMMISSIONERS OF IRISH LIGHTS, LOWNDEAN PROFESSOR OF ASTRONOMY AND GEOMETRY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, AND FORMERLY ROYAL ASTRONOMER OF IRELAND WITH TWENTY-FOUR COLOURED PLATES AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS NEW AND REVISED EDITION CASSELL and COMPANY, Limited LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK & MELBOURNE 1900 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PREFACE TO ORIGINAL EDITION. I have to acknowledge the kind aid which I have received in the preparation of this book. Mr. Nasmyth has permitted me to use some of the beautiful drawings of the Moon, which have appeared in the well-known work published by him in conjunction with Mr. Carpenter. To this source I am indebted for Plates VII., VIII., IX., X., and Figs. 28, 29, 30. Professor Pickering has allowed me to copy some of the drawings made at Harvard College Observatory by Mr. Trouvelot, and I have availed myself of his kindness for Plates I., IV., XII., XV. I am indebted to Professor Langley for Plate II., to Mr. De la Rue for Plates III. and XIV., to Mr. T.E. Key for Plate XVII., to Professor Schiaparelli for Plate XVIII., to the late Professor C. Piazzi Smyth for Fig. 100, to Mr. Chambers for Fig. 7, which has been borrowed from his "Handbook of Descriptive Astronomy," to Dr. Stoney for Fig. 78, and to Dr. Copeland and Dr. Dreyer for Fig. 72. I have to acknowledge the valuable assistance derived from Professor Newcomb`s "Popular Astronomy," and Professor Young`s "Sun." In revising the volume I have had the kind aid of the Rev. Maxwell Close. I have also to thank Dr. Copeland and Mr. Steele for their kindness in reading through the entire proofs; while I have also occasionally availed myself of the help of Mr. Cathcart. ROBERT S. BALL. Observatory, Dunsink, Co. Dublin. 12th May, 1886. NOTE TO THIS EDITION. I have taken the opportunity in the present edition to revise the work in accordance with the recent progress of astronomy. I am indebted to the Royal Astronomical Society for the permission to reproduce some photographs from their published series, and to Mr. Henry F. Griffiths, for beautiful drawings of Jupiter, from which Plate XI. was prepared. ROBERT S. BALL. Cambridge, 1st May, 1900. CONTENTS. page Introduction 1 chapter I. II. III. The Observatory The Sun The Moon Astronomical 9 29 70 IV. The Solar System 107 V. The Law of Gravitation 122 VI. The Planet of Romance 150 VII. Mercury 155 VIII. Venus 167 IX. The Earth 192 X. Mars 208 XI. The Minor Planets 229 XII. Jupiter 245 XIII. Saturn 268 XIV. Uranus 298 XV. Neptune 315 XVI. Comets 336 XVII. Shooting Stars 372 XVIII. The Starry Heavens 409 XIX. The Distant Suns 425 XX. Double Stars 434 XXI. The Distances of the Stars 441 XXII. Star Clusters and Nebulæ 461 XXIII. XXIV. The Physical Nature of the Stars The Precession and Nutation of the Earth`s Axis XXV. The Aberration of Light 503 XXVI. The Astronomical Significance of Heat ... - tailieumienphi.vn