Star-land: Being Talks With Young People About the Wonders of the Heavens
BEING TALKS WITH YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THE WONDERS OF THE HEAVENS
SIR ROBERT STAWELL BALL, F.R.S.
LOWNDEAN PROFESSOR OF ASTRONOMY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUTHOR OF “THE STORY OF THE HEAVENS,” ETC.
Illustrated
NEW AND REVISED EDITION
Boston, U.S.A., and London GINN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS The Athenæum Press 1899
Entered at Stationers’ Hall Copyright, 1899, by CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
To THOSE YOUNG FRIENDS WHO HAVE ATTENDED MY CHRISTMAS LECTURES THIS LITTLE BOOK IS DEDICATED
It has long been the custom at the Royal Institution of Great Britain to provide each Christmastide a course of Lectures specially addressed to a juvenile audience.
On two occasions, namely, in 1881 and in 1887, the Managers entrusted this honorable duty to me. The second course was in the main a repetition of the first; and on my notes and recollections of both the present little volume has been founded.
I am indebted to my friends Rev. Maxwell Close, Mr. Arthur Rambaut, and Dr. John Todhunter for their kindness in reading the proofs.
ROBERT S. BALL.
Robert S. Ball
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STAR-LAND
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.
CONTENTS.
STAR-LAND.
THE HEAT AND BRIGHTNESS OF THE SUN.
FURTHER BENEFITS THAT WE RECEIVE FROM THE SUN.
THE DISTANCE OF THE SUN.
HOW ASTRONOMERS MEASURE THE DISTANCES OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES.
THE APPARENT SMALLNESS OF DISTANT OBJECTS.
THE SHAPE AND SIZE OF THE SUN.
THE SPOTS ON THE SUN.
APPEARANCES SEEN DURING A TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.
NIGHT AND DAY.
THE DAILY ROTATION OF THE EARTH.
ANNUAL MOTION OF THE EARTH ROUND THE SUN.
THE CHANGES OF THE SEASONS.
SUNSHINE AT THE NORTH POLE.
THE PHASES OF OUR ATTENDANT, THE MOON.
THE SIZE OF THE MOON.
HOW ECLIPSES ARE PRODUCED.
EFFECT OF THE MOON’S DISTANCE ON ITS APPEARANCE.
A TALK ABOUT TELESCOPES.
HOW THE TELESCOPE AIDS US IN VIEWING THE MOON.
TELESCOPIC VIEWS OF LUNAR SCENERY.
ON THE ORIGIN OF THE LUNAR CRATERS.
THE MOVEMENTS OF THE MOON.
ON THE POSSIBILITY OF LIFE IN THE MOON.
MERCURY, VENUS, AND MARS.
HOW TO MAKE A DRAWING OF OUR SYSTEM.
THE PLANET MERCURY.
THE PLANET VENUS.
THE TRANSIT OF VENUS.
VENUS AS A WORLD.
THE PLANET MARS AND HIS MOVEMENTS.
THE DISCOVERIES MADE BY TYCHO AND KEPLER.
THE DISCOVERIES MADE BY NEWTON.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF MARS.
THE SATELLITES OF MARS.
HOW THE TELESCOPE AIDS IN VIEWING FAINT OBJECTS.
THE ASTEROIDS OR SMALL PLANETS.
JUPITER.
THE SATELLITES OF JUPITER.
SATURN.
THE NATURE OF THE RINGS.
WILLIAM HERSCHEL.
THE DISCOVERY OF URANUS.
THE SATELLITES OF URANUS.
THE DISCOVERY OF NEPTUNE.
THE MOVEMENTS OF A COMET.
ENCKE’S COMET.
THE GREAT COMET OF HALLEY.
HOW THE TELEGRAPH IS USED FOR COMETS.
THE PARABOLA.
THE MATERIALS OF A COMET.
METEORS.
WHAT BECOMES OF THE SHOOTING STARS.
GRAND METEORS.
THE GREAT NOVEMBER SHOWERS.
OTHER GREAT SHOWERS.
METEORITES.
WE TRY TO MAKE A MAP.
THE STARS ARE SUNS.
THE NUMBERS OF THE STARS.
THE CLUSTERS OF STARS.
THE RANK OF THE EARTH AS A GLOBE IN SPACE.
THE DISTANCES OF THE STARS.
THE BRIGHTNESS AND COLOR OF STARS.
DOUBLE STARS.
HOW WE FIND WHAT THE STARS ARE MADE OF.
THE NEBULÆ.
WHAT THE NEBULÆ ARE MADE OF.
PHOTOGRAPHING THE NEBULÆ.
CONCLUSION.
TABLE OF USEFUL ASTRONOMICAL FACTS.
THE PLANETS.
THE SATELLITES OF MARS.
THE SATELLITES OF JUPITER.
THE SATELLITES OF SATURN.
THE SATELLITES OF URANUS.
THE SATELLITE OF NEPTUNE.
INDEX.
Transcriber’s Notes
