History of Astronomy

by George Forbes

SIR ISAAC NEWTON
(From the bust by Roubiliac In Trinity College, Cambridge.)

HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY

BY

GEORGE FORBES,
M.A., F.R.S., M. INST. C. E.,

(FORMERLY PROFESSOR OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, ANDERSON’S COLLEGE, GLASGOW)

AUTHOR OF “THE TRANSIT OF VENUS,” RENDU’S “THEORY OF THE GLACIERS OF SAVOY,” ETC., ETC.

CONTENTS

[PREFACE]

[BOOK I. THE GEOMETRICAL PERIOD]

[1. PRIMITIVE ASTRONOMY AND ASTROLOGY]

[2. ANCIENT ASTRONOMY—CHINESE AND CHALDÆANS]

[3. ANCIENT GREEK ASTRONOMY]

[4. THE REIGN OF EPICYCLES—FROM PTOLEMY TO COPERNICUS]

[BOOK II. THE DYNAMICAL PERIOD]

[5. DISCOVERY OF THE TRUE SOLAR SYSTEM—TYCHO BRAHE—KEPLER]

[6. GALILEO AND THE TELESCOPE—NOTIONS OF GRAVITY BY HORROCKS, ETC.]

[7. SIR ISAAC NEWTON—LAW OF UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION]

[8. NEWTON’S SUCCESSORS—HALLEY, EULER, LAGRANGE, LAPLACE, ETC.]

[9. DISCOVERY OF NEW PLANETS—HERSCHEL, PIAZZI, ADAMS, AND LE VERRIER]

[BOOK III. OBSERVATION]

[10. INSTRUMENTS OF PRECISION—SIZE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM]

[11. HISTORY OF THE TELESCOPE—SPECTROSCOPE]

[BOOK IV. THE PHYSICAL PERIOD]

[12. THE SUN]

[13. THE MOON AND PLANETS]

[14. COMETS AND METEORS]

[15. THE STARS AND NEBULÆ]

[ILLUSTRATIONS]

[INDEX]