The Story of the Heavens

Robert S. (Robert Stawell) Ball

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Project Gutenberg's The Story of the Heavens, by Robert Stawell BallThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and withalmost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away orre-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License includedwith this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.orgTitle: The Story of the HeavensAuthor: Robert Stawell BallRelease Date: December 1, 2008 [EBook #27378]Language: English*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF THE HEAVENS ***Produced by K. Nordquist, Brenda Lewis, Stephen Hope, GregBergquist and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttp://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from imagesgenerously made available by The Internet Archive/AmericanLibraries.)Transcriber’s NoteThe punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully preserved. Only obvious typographical errorshave been corrected.THE STORY OF THE HEAVENSPLATE I. THE PLANET SATURN, IN 1872. PLATE I.THE PLANET SATURN,IN 1872.THESTORY OF THE HEAVENSSIR ROBERT STAWELL BALL, LL.D. D.Sc.Author of "Star-Land"FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, HONORARY FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OFEDINBURGH, FELLOW OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, SCIENTIFIC ADVISER TO THECOMMISSIONERS OF IRISH LIGHTS, LOWNDEAN PROFESSOR OF ASTRONOMY ANDGEOMETRY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, AND FORMERLYROYAL ASTRONOMER OF IRELANDWITH TWENTY-FOUR COLOURED PLATES AND NUMEROUSILLUSTRATIONSNEW AND REVISED EDITIONC A Sa ...

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• Publié par: indrya
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 19
• Langue: English

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Project Gutenberg's The Story of the Heavens, by
Robert Stawell Ball
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no
cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it,
give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg
License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: The Story of the Heavens
Author: Robert Stawell Ball
Release Date: December 1, 2008 [EBook #27378]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK
THE STORY OF THE HEAVENS ***
Produced by K. Nordquist, Brenda Lewis, Stephen
Hope, Greg
Bergquist and the Online Distributed Proofreading
Team at
http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced fromhttp://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from
images
generously made available by The Internet
Archive/American
Libraries.)
Transcriber’s Note
The punctuation and spelling from the original text
have been faithfully preserved. Only obvious
typographical errors have been corrected.
THE STORY OF THE
HEAVENS
PLATE I. THE PLANET SATURN, IN 1872. 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
1900ALL 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 fortheir 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
The Astronomical O
I. 9I. 9
bservatory
2
II. The Sun
9
III 7
The Moon
. 0
1
IV
The Solar System 0
.
7
1
The Law of Gravitati
V. 2
on
2
1
VI The Planet of Roma
5
. nce
0
1
VI
Mercury 5
I.
5
1
VI
Venus 6
II.
7
1
IX
The Earth 9
.
2
2
X. Mars 0
8
2
XI
The Minor Planets 2
.
9
2
XIXI
Jupiter 4
I.
5
2
XI
Saturn 6
II.
8
2
XI
Uranus 9
V.
8
3
X
Neptune 1
V.
5
X 3
VI Comets 3
. 6
X 3
VI Shooting Stars 7
I. 2
X 4
VI The Starry Heavens 0
II. 9
4
XI
The Distant Suns 2
X.
5
4
X
Double Stars 3
X.
4
X 4
The Distances of the
XI 4
Stars
. 1
X 4
Star Clusters and Ne
XI 6XI 6
bulæ
I. 1
X 4
The Physical Nature
XI 7
of the Stars
II. 7
X The Precession and 4
XI Nutation of the Earth 9
V. 's Axis 2
X 5
The Aberration of Lig
X 0
ht
V. 3
X
5
X The Astronomical Si
1
VI gnificance of Heat
3
.
X
5
X
The Tides 3
VI
1
I.
5
Appendix 5
8
LIST OF PLATES.
PLATE
Frontis
I. The Planet Saturn
piece
To fa
II. A Typical Sun-spot ce p 9age
A 4
The Sun " "
. 4
III Spots and Faculæ o 3
" "
. n the Sun 7
I
Solar Prominences 5
V " "
or Flames 7
.
V 6
The Solar Corona " "
. 2
V Chart of the Moon's 8
" "
I. Surface 1
B 8
Portion of the Moon " "
. 8
V The Lunar Crater Tri 9
" "
II. esnecker 3
V
A Normal Lunar Cra 9
III " "
ter 7
.
I 1
The Lunar Crater Pl
X " " 0
ato
. 2
1
X The Lunar Crater Ty
" " 0
. cho
6
2
X
The Planet Jupiter " " 5
I.
4
3
X
Coggia's Comet " " 4