A System of Astronomy: On the Principles of Copernicus |
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Common terms and phrases
angle anomaly aphelion appear astronomers atmosphere axis body bring calculated called cause centre century circle clock common conjunction considered dark declination diameter direction discovered disk distance diurnal divided drawn earth east eclipse elevated equal equator equinox extend figure force four given globe greatest half heat heavenly body heavens Hence Herschel horizon hour inclined inhabitants Jupiter known latitude less light longitude luminous March Mars mean Mercury meridian miles minutes month moon moon's motion move nearly node object obliquity observed opposite orbit parallax parallel passing period planet Plate pole position present proportion reckoned represent revolve ring rise rotation round Saturn seconds seems seen semi-diameter shadow side signs solar sometimes stars subtract sun's supposed surface taken tides tion transit tropic true turned Venus visible
Popular passages
Page 200 - Rectify the globe to the latitude of the place; bring the sun's place in the ecliptic to the meridian, and set the index to XII.
Page ii - BBOWN, of the said district, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as author, in the words following, to wit : " Sertorius : or, the Roman Patriot.
Page 177 - Observer' at a salary of 100£ per annum, his duty being 'forthwith to apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying the tables of the motions of the heavens and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting the art of navigation.
Page iv - ... constitution of the universe by the means of these buildings and of observers stationed in them, shall we doubt of their usefulness to every nation? And while scarcely a year passes over our heads without bringing some new astronomical discovery to light, which we must fain receive at...
Page 179 - ... that, situated as we are in this Western hemisphere, more than three thousand miles from any fixed or known meridian, it would be proper, in a national point of view, to establish a first meridian for ourselves ; and that measures should be taken for the eventual establishment of such a meridian in the United States. In examining the maps and charts of the United States, and the particular States, or their...
Page 160 - The atmosphere is known to abound with electric matter, and the appearance of the electric matter in vacuo is exactly like the appearance of the aurora borealis, which, from its great altitude, may be considered to be in as perfect a vacuum as we can make. The electric matter in vacuo suffers the rays of light to pass through, without being affected by them. The tail of a comet does not expand itself sideways, nor does the electric matter. Hence, he supposes the tails of comets, the aurora borealis,...
Page 162 - ... aperture; and, at another time, in 41 minutes, he saw 258,000 stars pass through the field of his telescope. Every improvement in his...
Page 179 - Junonia, one of these islands, supposed to be the present island of Teneriffe. " The Arabians, it is said, fixed their firs,t meridian at the most westerly part of the continent of Africa. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when Europe was emerging from the dark ages, and a...
Page 66 - There is not, perhaps," said this great and sound astronomer, " another object in the heavens that presents us with such a variety of extraordinary phenomena as the planet Saturn ; a magnificent globe encompassed by a stupendous double ring ; attended by seven satellites; ornamented with equatorial belts; compressed at the poles ; turning on its axis ; mutually eclipsing its rings and satellites, and eclipsed by them ; the most distant of the rings also turning on its axis, and the same taking place...
Page 138 - A month in law is a lunar month, or twenty-eight days, unless otherwise expressed ; not only because it is always one uniform period, but because it falls naturally into a quarterly division by weeks. Therefore a lease for