Across the Zodiac: A Story of Adventure (Classic Reprint) - Couverture souple

Edwin Pallander

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1330331028 ISBN 13 : 9781330331026

Editeur : Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Excerpt from Across the Zodiac: A Story of Adventure

Celestial bodies are, in fact, always spherical. The rotating movement to which they are subjected assures obedience to this natural law. Slight differences of diameter between the poles and the equator, occasioned by centrifugal force, are all that can be counted upon. Decidedly, the theory of a new and undiscovered celestial body was untenable.

What was it then A freak of optics? A trail of vapour? The debris of a vanished aerolite?

This last hypothesis seemed the most reasonable of the lot. Vagrant comets traversing space are as liable to accidents of this kind as express trains. A thousand in?uences may be at work to produce a breaking up of their constituent parts. Heat, cold, an explosion of mephitic gases, the counter attraction of two wandering stars, the shock occasioned by the chance rencontre with a Sister aerolite. All these things may tend to the dis memberment of the solid Shell.

To calculate the elements, the density, atomic weight and specific gravity of this body would be a lengthy and delicate operation. The eye-piece Of the great equatorial was for an hour monopolised by a crowd of excited, gesticulating savants, pro pounding questions, offering theories, contradicting each other and being in their turn contradicted.

Here the ruling head of the observatory stepped in. A lynx-eyed Old mathematician in a frieze coat, a battered felt hat and voluminous neck-tie.

At his suggestion the place was cleared and some Observations were taken.

The body was evidently a large one. Seen through the twenty-six inch equatorial, its length equalled, or seemed to equal, the diameter of the crater of Tycho. This, if it were travelling actually across the surface of the moon, would give it a length of eighty-seven kilometres or so.

On the other hand, it might be merely ?oating in the terrestrial atmosphere - a disenchanting fact which might bring its length do

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

The year 188 was in many ways noteworthy to astronomers. Not to make mention of Schiaparelli sindefatigable researches on the surface geography and physical conditions of the earths sister-planet Mars, which resulted in the publication of those fine charts destined to immortalise the Italian observers name not to speak of the learned labours of Secchi, and the ponderous volumes of printed matter which Monsieur Flammarion conferred as a heritage on our volatile next-door neighbours not to dwell on the invaluable boon conferred on the noble science by the works of Sir Robert Ball on the sun, by the discoveries of Palisa among the minor planets, or byS truve ssage calculations concerning the nature of Saturn smysterious rings setting all these valuable offerings at the shrine of Urania aside for a moment, there was one topic which far outweighed the rest, one all absorbing question which deeply agitated the minds of learned and unlearned, of credulous amateurs and sceptical professors.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Forgotten Books
• Date d'édition: 2018
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1330331028
• ISBN 13: 9781330331026
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 332
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Copytech (UK) Ltd, Trading as Printondemand-worldwide.com; gpsr@podww.com; ; 9 Culley Court; Orton Southgate; Peterborough; Cambridgeshire; PE2 6WA; Royaume-Uni
• Personne responsable: Easy Access System Europe Oü, 16879218; +358405003575; gpsr.requests@easproject.com; ; Mustamäe tee 50; Tallinn; 10621; Estonie