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قراءة كتاب New Theories in Astronomy
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NEW THEORIES IN
ASTRONOMY
BY
WILLIAM STIRLING
CIVIL ENGINEER
London:
E. & F. N. SPON, Limited, 57 HAYMARKET
New York:
SPON & CHAMBERLAIN, 123 LIBERTY STREET
1906
TO THE READER.
Mr. William Stirling, Civil Engineer, who devoted the last years of his life to writing this work, was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, his father being the Rev. Robert Stirling, D.D., of that city, and his brothers, the late Mr. Patrick Stirling and Mr. James Stirling, the well known engineers and designers of Locomotive Engines for the Great Northern and South Eastern Railways respectively.
After completing his studies in Scotland he settled in South America, and was engaged as manager and constructing engineer in important railway enterprises on the west coast, besides other concerns both in Peru and Chile; his last work being the designing and construction of the railway from the port of Tocopilla on the Pacific Ocean to the Nitrate Fields of Toco in the interior, the property of the Anglo-Chilian and Nitrate Railway Company.
He died in Lima, Peru, on the 7th October, 1900, much esteemed and respected, leaving the MS. of the present work behind him, which is now published as a tribute to his memory, and wish to put before those who are interested in the Science of Astronomy his theories to which he devoted so much thought.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| INTRODUCTION | 1 |
CHAPTER I. |
|
| The bases of modern astronomy. Their late formation | 18 |
| Instruments and measures used by ancient astronomers | 19 |
| Weights and measures sought out by modern astronomers | 20 |
| Means employed to discover the density of the earth. | |
| Measuring by means of plummets not sufficiently exact | 20 |
| Measurements with torsion and chemical balances more accurate | 21 |
| Sir George B. Airy's theory, and experiments at the Harton colliery | 22 |
| Results of experiments not reliable. Theory contrary to the Law of Attraction | 23 |
| Proof by arithmetical calculation of its error | 24 |
| Difficulties in comparing beats of pendulums at top and bottom of a mine | 26 |
| The theory upheld by text-books without proper examination | 27 |
| Of a particle of matter within the shell of a hollow sphere. | |
| Not exempt from the law of Attraction | 28 |
| A particle so situated confronted with the law of the | |
| inverse square ofdistance from an attracting body. Remarks thereon | 29 |
| It is not true that the attraction of a spherical shell | |
| is "zero" for a particle of matter within it | 31 |
CHAPTER II. |
|
| The moon cannot have even an imaginary rotation on its axis, | |
| but is generally believed to have. Quotations to prove this | 33 |
| Proofs that there can be no rotation. The most confused | |
| assertion that there is rotation shown to be without foundations | 35 |
| A gin horse does not rotate on its axis in its revolution | 37 |
| A gin horse, or a substitute, driven instead of being a driver | 38 |
| Results of the wooden horse being driven by the mill | 38 |
| The same results produced by the revolution of the moon. | |
| Centrifugal force sufficient to drive air and water away from our side of the moon | 39 |
| That force not sufficient to drive them away from its other side | 40 |
| No one seems ever to have thought of centrifugal force in connection with air and water on the moon | 41 |
| Near approach made by Hansen to this notion | 41 |
| Far-fetched reasons given for the non-appearance of air and water | 42 |
| The moon must have both on the far-off hemisphere | 44 |
| Proofs of this deduced from its appearance at change | 44 |
| Where the evidences of this may be seen if looked for at the right place. | |
| The centrifugal force shown to be insufficient to drive off even air, | |
| and less water, altogether from the moon | 45 |
| The moon must have rotated on its axis at one period of its existence | 47 |
| The want of polar compression no proof to the contrary | 48 |
| Want of proper study gives rise to extravagant conceptions, | |
| jumping at conclusions, and formation of "curious theories" | 48 |
CHAPTER III. |
|
| Remarks on some of the principal cosmogonies. Ancient notions | 49 |
| The Nebular hypothesis of Laplace. Early opinions on it. | |
| Received into favour. Again condemned as erroneous | 50 |
| Defects attributed to it as fatal. New cosmogonies advanced | 51 |
| Dr. Croll's collision, or impact, theory discussed | 53 |
| Dr. Braun's cosmogony examined | 59 |
| M. Faye's "Origine du Monde" defined | 61 |
| Shown to be without proper foundation, confused, and in some parts contradictory | 65 |
| Reference to other hypotheses not noticed. All more or less | |
| only variations on the nebular hypothesis | 70 |
| Necessity for more particular examination into it | 71 |
CHAPTER IV. |
|
| Preliminaries to analysis of the Nebular hypothesis | 72 |
| Definition of the hypothesis | 73 |
| Elements of solar system. Tables of dimensions and masses | 75 |
| Explanation of tables and density of Saturn | 78 |
| Volume, density and mass of Saturn's rings, general remarks | |
| about them, and satellites to be made from them |