Outlines of astronomy / by Sir John F.W. Herschel.

Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Outlines of astronomy / by Sir John F.W. Herschel. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    phases. Synodic revolution or lunar month. Harvest Moon. Of eclipses more particularly. Their phsenomena. Their periodical recur- rence. Physical constitution of the Moon. Its mountains and other superficial features. Indications of former volcanic activity. Its atmo- sphere. Climate. Radiation of heat from its surface. Rotation on its own axis. Libration. Appearance of the Earth from it. Probable elongation of the Moon's figure in the direction of the Earth. Its habitability not impossible. Charts, models, and photographs of its surface ------- Page 26'2 CHAPTER Vin. Of terrestrial gravity. Of the law of universal gravitation. Paths of projectiles, apparent, real. The Moon retained in her orbit by gravity. Its law of diminution. Laws of elliptic motion. Orbit of the Earth round the Sun in accordance with these laws. Masses of the Earth and Sun compared. Density of the Sun. Force of gravity at its surface. Disturbing effect of the Sun on the Moon's motion - 290 CHAPTER IX. OF THE SOLAB SYSTEM. Apparent motions of the planets. The stations and retrogradations. The Sun their natural center of motion. Inferior planets. Their phases, periods, etc. Dimensions and form of their orbits. Transits across the Sun. Superior planets. Their distances, periods, etc. Kepler's laws and their interpretation. Elliptic elements of a planet's orbit. Its heliocentric and geocentric place. Empirical law of planetary distances ; violated in the case of Neptune. The asteroids. Physical peculiarities observable in each of the planets - - - 301 CHAPTER X. OF TKB SATEUlilTES. Of the Moon, as a satellite of the Earth. General proximity of satellites to their primaries, and consequent subordination of their motions. Masses of the primaries concluded from the periods of their satellites. Maintenance of Kepler's laws in the secondary systems. Of Jupiter's satellites. Their eclipses, etc. Velocity of light discovered by their means. Satellites of Saturn — of Uranus —of Neptune - -354 CHAPTER XL OF COMETS. Great number of recorded comets. Tile number of those unrecorded probably much greater. General description of a comet. Comets with- out tails, or with more than one. Their extreme tenuity. Their probable structure. Motions conformable to the law of gravity. Actnal dimensions of comets. Periodical return of several. Hulley's comet. Other ancient comets probiiblv periodic. Encke's comet—