CONTENTS.

Preface,3
[LETTER I].
Introductory Observations,9
[LETTER II.]
Doctrine of the Sphere,16
[LETTER III.]
Astronomical Instruments.—Telescope,29
[LETTER IV]
Telescope continued,36
[LETTER V.]
Observatories,42
[LETTER VI.]
Time and the Calendar,59
[LETTER VII.]
Figure of the Earth,69
[LETTER VIII.]
Diurnal Revolution,81
[LETTER IX.]
Parallax and Refraction,89
[LETTER X.]
The Sun,101
[LETTER XI.]
Annual Revolution.—Seasons,111
[LETTER XII.]
Laws of Motion,126
[LETTER XIII.]
Terrestrial Gravity,134
[LETTER XIV.]
Sir Isaac Newton.—Universal Gravitation.—Figure
of the Earth's Orbit.—Precession of the Equinoxes,143
[LETTER XV.]
The Moon,157
[LETTER XVI.]
The Moon.—Phases.—Harvest Moon.—Librations,172
[LETTER XVII.]
Moon's Orbit.—Her Irregularities,180
[LETTER XVIII.]
Eclipses,195
[LETTER XIX.]
Longitude.—Tides,208
[LETTER XX.]
Planets.—Mercury and Venus,225
[LETTER XXI.]
Superior Planets: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus,243
[LETTER XXII.]
Copernicus.—Galileo,254
[LETTER XXIII.]
Saturn.—Uranus.—Asteroids,274
[LETTER XXIV.]
The Planetary Motions.—Kepler's Laws.—Kepler,291
[LETTER XXV.]
Comets,312
[LETTER XXVI.]
Comets,334
[LETTER XXVII.]
Meteoric Showers,346
[LETTER XXVIII.]
Fixed Stars,365
[LETTER XXIX.]
Fixed Stars,383
[LETTER XXX.]
System of the World,392
[LETTER XXXI.]
Natural Theology,406
[LETTER XXXII.]
Recent Discoveries,414
[INDEX.]423

LETTERS ON ASTRONOMY.

LETTER I.