The Ways of the Planets |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
almanacs aphelion appears Aries astronomers atmosphere autumn axis beautiful Bode's law bright brighter brightest brilliant Capricornus circle color constellation day and night degrees dense Dipper disc discovered distance earth east eastern elongation eccentricity ecliptic equator equinox farther farthest favorable first-magnitude star fixed star four Gemini greatest eastern half heat horizon inferior conjunction inferior planets journey Jupiter's larger less light Mars mass Mercury miles a second milk dipper million miles millions of miles minutes moon morning motion naked eye nearer nearest nearly nebula Neptune never observation occur opposition orbit outer planets passing perihelion Pisces planetoids position probably retrograde motion revolution rings rotation Sagittarius satellites Saturn Scorpio seasons seems seen shine shows situation skies smaller solar family solar system sometimes space summer sun's superior conjunction superior planets surface synodic period Taurus telescope temperature thousand miles tion Uranus Venus vernal equinox visible winter zodiac
Popular passages
Page 76 - Aries the Ram, Taurus the Bull, Gemini the Twins, Cancer the Crab, Leo the Lion, Virgo the Virgin, Libra the Balance, Scorpio the Scorpion, Sagittarius the Archer, Capricornus the Goat, Aquarius the Waterbearer, and Pisces the Fishes...
Page 38 - ... the planets actually observed with the elliptic theory, with the utmost exactness, and thus putting it to the severest trial; and it is upon the testimony of such computations, so brought into comparison with observed facts, that we declare that theory to be a true representation of nature. (505.) The planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have been known from the earliest ages in which astronomy has been cultivated. Uranus was discovered by Sir W.
Page 84 - Arcturus, which may be found by following the curve of the handle of The Dipper, prolonged about thirty degrees.
Page 156 - ... Answer. Sometimes nearer, sometimes farther off. As I stated before, they are entirely nomadic, and they pass from one part of the country to another. The most precise information I have of their precise locality, at any particular time, is the report of Major Wynkoop, who went out and saw their camp, in the latter part of August, or in the early part of September last. Question. Where were they then ? Answer. At what is called Big Timbers* on the head of Smoke Hill. Question. Have you any knowledge...
Page 67 - ... passing nearest to us. Then it gradually comes out to view on the right hand, separates from the sun up to a certain distance as before, and again recedes beyond the sun, and is for the time being once more lost to view. To these various positions technical names are given. When the inferior planet is on the far side of the sun from us, it is said to be in Superior Conjunction.
Page 17 - ... around the sun as a center. They have no light of their own, as the stars have, but shine wholly by reflected light received from the sun, which itself is a star.
Page 46 - ... Briefly, the rotation makes the electrical flow and a thermopilic dynamo of each planet. The ancient astronomical teaching is absolutely true. There will not be a work on astronomy published in Europe or the United States this year, or hereafter, that will not state that "Mercury and Venus revolve on their axes in the same time that they revolve around the sun...
Page 11 - ... Their children are growing up without the means of grace. Their neighbors are living " without hope, and without God in the world." And they are our countrymen; they are near us; they speak and read our language; their prejudices and sympathies are the same as ours; their wants we daily behold; they are members of our own family, " bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh.
Page 49 - PLANET when it is in a straight line with the earth and the sun, the earth being between the other two.
Page 209 - Saturn, while never what we would call cold, has little in it of that bright, warm, friendly aspect which is at times so characteristic of Venus, Mars, and Jupiter.