A Short Course in Astronomy: And the Use of the Globes

Front Cover
Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor, 1870 - Astronomy - 190 pages
 

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 137 - Towards the morning of the 13th of November, 1799, we witnessed a most extraordinary scene of shooting meteors. Thousands of bodies and falling stars succeeded each other during four hours. Their direction was very regular from north to south. From the beginning of the phenomenon there was not a space in the firmament equal in extent to three diameters of the moon which was not filled every instant with bodies or falling stars. All the meteors left luminous traces or phosphorescent bands behind them,...
Page 8 - A Circle is a plane figure bounded by a curved line every point of which is equally distant from a point within called the center.
Page 9 - The circumference of a circle is supposed to be divided into 360 equal parts, called degrees; each degree into 60 minutes, and each minute into 60 seconds. Degrees, minutes, and seconds are designated by the characters °, ', ". Thus 23° 14' 35" is read 23 degrees, 14 minutes, and 35 seconds.
Page 105 - seems above all to confirm the idea of an intimate relation between all the minor planets; it is, that, if their orbits are figured under the form of material rings, these rings will be found so entangled, that it would be possible, by means of one among them taken at hazard, to lift up all the rest.
Page 151 - ... to twelve ; then, if the given time be before noon, turn the globe westward till the index has passed over as many hours as the given time wants of noon ; if the time be past noon, turn the globe eastward as many hours as...
Page 117 - The greatest number of eclipses that can happen in a year is seven; five of the sun and two of the moon, or four of the sun and three of the moon. The least number is two, both of which must be of the sun.
Page 45 - Elevate the pole as many degrees above the horizon as are equal to the latitude of the place, and screw the quadrant of altitude on the brass meridian, over that latitude; bring the sun's place in the ecliptic to the brass meridian, and set the index of the...
Page 3 - One vol. cloth, Fully Illustrated, 180 pages. Price 90 cents. By mail on receipt of price. The design of this work is to supply a brief course of lessons in Astronomy for the use of young pupils, or of those whose time and opportunities do not permit a more exhaustive study of the subject. It is based on the author's " New Manual of the Elements of Astronomy," but the treatment has been, simplified, and in other respects adapted to a work of a lower grade.
Page 41 - Long. 77 W. PROBLEM III. — To find the difference of latitude or longitude between any two places. Find the latitude or longitude of each on the globe or map, and count the number of degrees from one meridian or parallel to the other. Otherwise, 1. If the latitudes or longitudes are both in the same direction...
Page 69 - A planet is said to be in conjunction with the sun when it is seen in the same part of the heavens with the sun.

Bibliographic information