An Elementary Treatise on Astronomy: In Two Parts. The First Containing, a Clear and Compendious View of the Theory; the Second, a Number of Practical Problems. To which are Added, Solar, Lunar, and Other Astronomical Tables |
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Common terms and phrases
altitude angle apparent diameter argument arithmetical complement ascension and declination astronomical axis body calculation called circle of latitude comet consequently corresponding cos² cosine Diff difference digits eclipsed diurnal motion earth earth's shadow eclipse equal equator equatorial parallax Evection fixed stars full moon geocentric geocentric latitude greatest Greenwich heliocentric Hence horizon horizontal parallax interval Jupiter logarithm longitude and latitude mean anomaly mean longitude moon's hourly motion motion in longitude nearly node nonagesimal Nutation obliquity observed obtained parallax perigee perpendicular planet pole quadratures quantities radius vector relative orbit retrograde motion right ascension satellites semidiameter sidereal sine solar subtract sun and moon sun's centre sun's longitude sun's mean tang tangent triangle true longitude tude Venus vernal equinox zenith
Popular passages
Page 204 - THREE BODIES. The solution of this problem, in its utmost generality, is not within the power of the mathematical sciences, as they now exist. Under certain limitations, however,, and such as are quite consistent with the condition of the heavenly bodies, it admits of being resolved. These limitations are, that the force which one of the bodies exerts on the other two, is, either from the smallness of that body, or its great distance, very inconsiderable, in. respect of the forces which these two...
Page 60 - ... the distance between the centre of the earth and the centre of the moon may . be ascertained.
Page 8 - ALPHA BETA GAMMA DELTA EPSILON ZETA ETA THETA IOTA KAPPA LAMBDA MU NU XI OMICRON PI RHO SIGMA TAU UPSILON PHI CHI PSI OMEGA...
Page 218 - Inertia of the waters, if the tides be considered relatively to the whole earth, and open sea, there is a meridian about 30° eastward of the moon, where it is always high water both in the hemisphere where the moon is and in that which is opposite. On the west side of this circle the tide is flowing, on the east it is ebbing, and on every part of the meridian at 90° distant, it is low water.
Page 157 - ... parallax of Venus being nearly four times as great as that of the sun, its path across the sun's disk will be different when viewed from different points of the earth's surface. The further south we go, the further north the planet will seem to be on the sun's disk. The change will be determined by the difference between the parallax of Venus and that of the sun, and this makes the geometrical explanation less simple than in the case of a determination into which only one parallax enters. It...
Page 45 - Twins, the Crab, the Lion, the Virgin, the Scales, the Scorpion, the Archer, the Goat, the Waterer, and the Fishes. Fig. 183. The 12 signs of the zodiac, together with the sun, and the earth revolving around him, are represented at fig.
Page 219 - ... a plane passing through the centre of the earth, at right angles to the line joining the centres of the earth and sun.
Page 142 - ... which the planet passes from the south to the north side of the ecliptic being called the ascending node, and the other the descending node.
Page 63 - That the planets all move in elliptic orbits, of which the sun occupies one of the foci. 3. That the squares of the times of the revolutions of the planets are as the cubes of their mean distances from the sun.
Page 30 - LONGITUDE of a place, in geography, is an arch of the equator, intercepted between the first meridian and the meridian passing through the...