An original theory or new hypothesis of the universe /

Presented as nine letters, the work develops a mathematical hypothesis that interprets the Milky Way as a flattened, system-like arrangement of stars and extends that model to the sizes, motions, and distances of planets, stars, and nebulae. It assesses observational evidence and degrees of probability, offers estimates of cosmic scale, and argues that many faint nebulae are remote, galaxy-like systems. Throughout, the author connects these cosmological ideas to questions of order, final causes, and the theological and moral implications of a vast hierarchical universe.