PREFACE.

The present volume originated in a desire topresent, in small compass, a record of the marvellousprogress in astronomy during the pasthundred years. Indebtedness should be acknowledgedto the valuable works of Professor Newcomb,Professor Schiaparelli, Professor Lowell,Professor Young, Sir Robert Ball, Mr Gore, M.Flammarion, and Miss Clerke, who, as thehistorian of modern astronomy, occupies a placeat once authoritative and unique.

Portions of Chapters II. and XII. have alreadyappeared in the form of an article on the Constructionof the Heavens, contributed by thewriter to the American periodical, ‘PopularAstronomy.’

CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER I. 1

HERSCHEL THE PIONEER.

Influence of Herschel’s work—His characteristics—Birth and early years—Emigration to England—Caroline Herschel—Discovery of Uranus—King’s Astronomer—Latter years and death—Death of Caroline Herschel

CHAPTER II. 15

HERSCHEL THE DISCOVERER.

Solar researches—Study of Venus—Of Mars—The Asteroids—Jupiter—Saturn—Discovery of satellites—Uranian satellites—Cometary researches—Motion of the Solar System—Discovery of binary stars—Clusters and nebulæ—Nebulous stars—The Nebular Hypothesis—Star-gauging—The disc-theory—Subordinate clusters—Abandonment of the disc-theory—Second method of star-gauging—Estimate of Herschel’s work

CHAPTER III. 43

THE SUN.

Schwabe and the sun-spot period—Researches of Wolf, Lamont, Sabine, Gautier—Observations of Carrington and Spörer—Career and work of Fraunhofer—Spectrum analysis—Work of Kirchhoff—Solar eclipse work—The Solar prominences—Janssen and Lockyer—Huggins and Zöllner—Work of Young—The Italian spectroscopists, Secchi, Respighi, Tacchini—Career of Tacchini—The reversing layer—The Corona—Doppler’s principle—Rotation of the Sun—Work of Dunér—Janssen’s solar atlas—Maunder and magnetism—Solar theories—Distance of the Sun—Summary

CHAPTER IV. 65

THE MOON.

Life and work of Schröter—Of Mädler—Of Schmidt—Changes on the Moon—Selenography in England—Lunar atmosphere—Lunar photography—Work of W. H. Pickering—The new Selenography—The Moon’s heat—Motion of the Moon—Acceleration of the Moon’s mean motion—Work of Laplace, Adams, Delaunay

CHAPTER V. 80

THE INNER PLANETS.

The problem of Vulcan—Mercury—Work of Schröter—Schiaparelli, his life and work—Work of Lowell—Spectrum of Mercury—Venus—Rotation period: work of

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