CONTENTS. _NTRODUCTION—Objects and sublimity of the science of astronomy.-Ignorance of former ages on this subject.-Modern discoveries.-Object of this work, CHAPTER I. Paga ON THE GENERAL APPEARANCE AND APPARENT MOTIONS OF THE STARRY HEAVENS. ignorance of the bulk of mankind in regard to the apparent motions of the heavens.-Deficiences in our modes of education.-Innate curiosity of the young.-Apparent motions and phenomena of the nocturnal heavens.-How to find the pole-star.-Description of Ursa Major and Minor.-Situations of some of the principal stars.-Appearance of the firmament in southern latitudes.-Magnificence of the starry heavens.-Proofs of the earth's rotation.-Utility of the stars.-Measures of the celestial sphere, CHAPTER II. ON THE GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE PLANETARY SYSTEM. Ptolemaic system, its complexity and futility.-Copernicus.-System of Copernicus.its important bearings.-Arguments to prove the truth of this system, and of the earth's annual motion, illustrated at large.-Motion of the earth a sublime object of contemplation, CHAPTER III. ON THE MAGNITUDES, MOTIONS, AND OTHER PHENOMENA OF THE BODIES CONNECTED WITH THE SOLAR SYSTEM. 1. The Planet Mercury. Its period.-Elongation.-Transits.--Mountains.--Intensity of light.-Temperature.Magnitude and population.-Rate of motion.-Mass and density.-Eccentricity of orbit, &c., 2. The Planet Venus. Form of the planetary orbits.-Explanation of astronomical terms.-General appearance, phases, and apparent motions of Venus.--May be seen at its superior conjunction.Observations on in the daytime.-Discoveries on by the telescope.---Views of by Cassini, Bianchini, Maraldi, Schroeter, and others.-Its mountains and atmosphere.-Its supposed satellite.-Its transits.-Extent of surface.--Quantity of light.--Temperature. -Distance.--Rate of motion, density, &c., 3. The Earth considered as a Planet. Its spheroidal figure, and how ascertained.-General aspect of its surface.-Appearance if viewed from the moon.-Its internal structure and density. Its variety of seasons. -General reflections on.-Its tropical and sidereal year, and various other particulars, 4. The Planet Mars. Peculiar phenomena of the superior planets.--Conjunctions, oppositions, and phases of Mars.--Distance, motion, apparent diameter, and extent of its orbit.-Telescopic views of its surface.-Its atmosphere.-Conclusions respecting its physical constitution. Its superficial contents.-Proportion of light.-Whether it have a secondary attendant &c., 5. The Planets Vesta, Juno, Ceres, and Pallas. History of their discovery.-Notice of Dr. Olbers.-Magnitude, distances, periods, and other phenomena of these planets.-Their peculiarties. Inclination and eccentricity of orbits, &c., &c.-Conclusions respecting the nature of these planets.-Remarks in reference to the Divine government.-Meteoric phenomena.-Details of meteoric showers, with remarks.-Moral reflections, &c., 6. The Planet Jupiter. Its distance.-Diurnal rotation.-Centrifugal force.-Density.-Magnitude and capacity for population.-Discoveries made on its surface by means of the telescope.-Its belts, their changes and general phenomena.-Opinions respecting their nature. Its permanent spots. Its peculiar splendour.-Its seasons, atmosphere, proportion of light, sphe roidal figure, arc of retrogradation, &c., 7. The Planet Saturn. Its distance.-Period of revolution and proportion of light.-Discoveries on its surface by means of the telescope.-Magnitude and extent.-Its density.-Gravitating power of the planets, &c., &c., 8. Rings af Saturn. History of their discovery.-Their dimensions.-Rotation.-Arc eccentric.-Their superficial contents and vast extent illustrated.-Display the grandeur of the Creator.Their appearance from the surface of Saturn.-Their diversified phenomena. Firmament of Saturn described.-Uses of the rings.-Different aspects of the rings as viewed through telescopes, 9. The Planet Uranus. History of its discovery.-Its distance-Circumference of its orbit. Its period of revolu tion. Its magnitude and dimensions.-Its proportion of light.-Its temperature.--Nature of caloric, &c. Whether any other planets exist within the limits of our system, and how they may be discovered, 10. The Sun. ! Its apparent diurnal motion as viewed from different positions on the globe. Its annual motion. Its distance.-Its magnitude particularly illustrated with reflections.-Its rotation.-Phenomena of its spots particularly described. Their variety and changes.Opinions respecting them.-Deductions respecting the nature and constitution of the -Amazing operations going forward on its surface.-The extent of its surface compared with the view from Mount Etna.-Displays the grandeur of the Deity. Whether it be inhabited.-Its beneficial influence on our globe.-Its effect on the weather.Its motion in space.-Zodiacal light, CHAPTER IV. ON THE SECONDARY PLANETS. Page 91 84 91 95 96 1. The Moon.Its apparent motions and phases.-Rotation.-Opacity.-distance.Variety of mountains.-Caverns.-Volcanoes.-Telescopic views of.-Atmosphere.Magnitude.-Inhabitants.-Pretended discoveries on.-Beneficial influence, &c., 111 2. The Satellites of Jupiter. Their discovery.-Revolutions.-Eclipses.-Magnitudes. Diversity of phenomena.-Longitude.- Motion of light, 3. Satellites of Saturn.-History of their discovery.-Revolutions and assumed magnitudes. Appearance from Saturn, 4. Satellites of Uranus.-Their motions.-Distances.--Assumed magnitudes and peculiarties, CHAPTER V. ON THE PERFECTIONS OF THE DEITY, AS DISPLAYED IN THE PLANETARY SYSTEM. Grand object of astronomy.-Omnipotence of the Deity.-Displayed in the magnitudes and motions of the sun and planets. His wisdom illustrated in various particulars.-His boundless beneficence, CHAPTER VI. SUMMARY VIEW OF THE PLANETARY SYSTEM. Superfices, solidity, comparative magnitudes and distances of the sun, earth, planets, satellites and rings of Saturn, 126 12 CHAPTER VII. ON THE METHOD BY WHICH THE DISTANCES AND MAGNITUDES OF THE HEAVENLY Popular methods illustrated.-Law of shadows.-Eclipses.-Trigonometrical definitions. CHAPTER VIII. ON THE SCENERY OF THE HEAVENS AS VIEWED FROM THE SURFACES OF THE DIFFERENT PLANETS AND THEIR SATELLITES. General remarks on celestial scenery.-Scenery of the heavens from Mercury.-Venus.Mars.-The new planets.-Jupiter.--Saturn.-Uranus.-Rings of Saturn.-Celestial scenery of the moon.-Appearance of the earth from.-Lunar astronomy. -Scenery from the satellites of Jupiter-Of Saturn.-And of Uranus.-Various views of these scenes.--General observations CHAPTER IX. ON THE DOCTRINE OF A PLURALITY OF WORLDS, WITH AN ILLUSTRATION OF SOME OF THE ARGUMENTS BY WHICH IT MAY BE SUPPORTED. Page 146 · 161 - 163 APPENDIX. DESCRIPTIONS of CELESTIAL PHENOMENA, and of the POSITIONS and ASPECTS of all the PLANETS during the Years 1838 and 1839. 177 CELESTIAL SCENERY. INTRODUCTION. ASTRONOMY is that department of knowedge which has for its object to investigate he notions, the magnitudes, and distances of the heavenly bodies; the laws by which their movements are directed, and the ends they are intended to subserve in the fabric of the universe. This is a science which has in all ages engaged the attention of the poet, the philosopher, and the divine, and been the subject of their study and admiration. Kings have descended from their thrones to render it homage, and have sometimes enriched it with their labours; and humble shepherds, while watching 'heir flocks by night, have beheld with rapture the blue vault of heaven, with its thousand shining orbs, moving in silent grandeur, till the morning star announced the approach of day. The study of this science must have been coeval with the existence of man; for there is no rational being who has for the first time lifted his eyes to the nocturnal sky, and beheld the moon walking in brightness amidst the planetary orbs and the host of stars, but must have been struck with admiration and wonder at the splendid scene, and excited to inquiries into the nature and destination of those far-distant orbs. Compared with the splendour, the amplitude, the august motions, and the ideas of infinity which the celestial vault presents, the most resplendent terrestrial scenes sink into inanity, and appear unworthy of being set in competition with the glories of the sky. . When, on a clear autumnal evening, after unset, we take a serious and attentive view of the celestial canopy; when we behold the moon displaying her brilliant crescent in the western sky; the evening star gilding the shades of night; the planets moving in their several orbs; the stars, one after another, emerging from the blue ethereal, and gradually lighting up the firmament till it appear all over spangled with a brilliant assemblage of shining orbs; and particularly when we behold one cluster of stars gradually descending below the western horizon, and other clusters emerging from the east, and ascending, in unison, the canopy of heaven; when we conmplate the whole celestial vault, with all the shining orbs it contains, moving in silent grandeur, like one vast concave sphere, around this lower world and the place on which we stand-such a scene naturally leads a reflecting mind to such inquiries as these: Whence come those stars which are ascending from the east? Whither have those gone which have disappeared in the west? What becomes of the stars during the day which are seen in the night? Is the motion which appears in the celestial vault real, or does a motion in the earth itself cause this appearance ? What are those immense numbers of shining orbs which appear in every part of the sky? Are they mere studs or tapers fixed in the arch of heaven, or are they bodies of immense size and splendour? Do they shine with borrowed light, or with their own native lustre? Are they placed only a few miles above the region of the clouds, or at immense distances, beyond the range of human comprehension? Can their distance be ascertained? Can their bulk be computed? By what laws are their motions regulated? and what purposes are they destined to subserve in the great plan of the universe? These, and similar questions, it is the great object of astronomy to resolve, in so far as the human mind has been enabled to prosecute the path of discovery. For a long period, during the infancy of science, comparatively little was known of the heavenly bodies excepting their apparent motions and aspects. Instead of investigating with care their true motions, and relative distances and magnitudes, many of our ancestors looked up to the sky either with a brute unconscious gaze, or viewed the heavens as the book of fate, in which they might read their future fortunes, and learn, from the signs, of the zodiac, and the conjunctions and other aspects of the planets, the temperaments and destinies of men and the fate of empires. And even to this day, in many countries, the fallacious art of prognosticating fortunes by the stars is one of the chief uses to which the science of the heavens is applied. In the ages to which I allude, the world in which we dwell was considered as the largest body |