Transcriber’s Note
The punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully preserved. Only obvioustypographical errors have been corrected.
THE STORY OF THE HEAVENS
THE
Story of the Heavens
SIR ROBERT STAWELL BALL, LL.D. D.Sc.
Author of "Star-Land"
FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, HONORARY FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF
EDINBURGH, FELLOW OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, SCIENTIFIC ADVISER TO THE
COMMISSIONERS OF IRISH LIGHTS, LOWNDEAN PROFESSOR OF ASTRONOMY AND
GEOMETRY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, AND FORMERLY
ROYAL ASTRONOMER OF IRELAND
WITH TWENTY-FOUR COLOURED PLATES AND NUMEROUS
ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW AND REVISED EDITION
CASSELL and COMPANY, Limited
LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK & MELBOURNE
1900
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PREFACE TO ORIGINAL EDITION.
I have to acknowledge the kind aid which I have received in thepreparation of this book.
Mr. Nasmyth has permitted me to use some of the beautiful drawings ofthe Moon, which have appeared in the well-known work published by him inconjunction with Mr. Carpenter. To this source I am indebted for PlatesVII., VIII., IX., X., and Figs. 28, 29, 30.
Professor Pickering has allowed me to copy some of the drawings made atHarvard College Observatory by Mr. Trouvelot, and I have availed myselfof his kindness for Plates I., IV., XII., XV.
I am indebted to Professor Langley for Plate II., to Mr. De la Rue forPlates III. and XIV., to Mr. T.E. Key for Plate XVII., to ProfessorSchiaparelli for Plate XVIII., to the late Professor C. Piazzi Smyth forFig. 100, to Mr. Chambers for Fig. 7, which has been borrowed from his"Handbook of Descriptive Astronomy," to Dr. Stoney for Fig. 78, and toDr. Copeland and Dr. Dreyer for Fig. 72. I have to acknowledge thevaluable assistance derived from Professor Newcomb's "PopularAstronomy," and Professor Young's "Sun." In revising the volume I havehad the kind aid of the Rev. Maxwell Close.
I have also to thank Dr. Copeland and Mr. Steele for their kindness inreading through the entire proofs; while I have also occasionallyavailed myself of the help of Mr. Cathcart.
ROBERT S. BALL.
Observatory, Dunsink, Co. Dublin.
12th May, 1886.
NOTE TO THIS EDITION.
I have taken the opportunity in the present edition to revise the workin accordance with the recent progress of astronomy. I am indebted tothe Royal Astronomical Society for the permission to reproduce somephotographs from their published series, and to Mr. Henry F. Griffiths,for beautiful