The Project Gutenberg eBook of History of Astronomy

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: History of Astronomy

Author: George Forbes

Release date: May 1, 2005 [eBook #8172]
Most recently updated: March 21, 2020

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Dave Maddock, Charles Franks
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY ***
SIR ISAAC NEWTON (From the bust by Roubiliac In Trinity College, Cambridge.)

SIR ISAAC NEWTON
(From the bust by Roubiliac In Trinity College, Cambridge.)

HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY

BY

GEORGE FORBES,
M.A., F.R.S., M. INST. C. E.,

(FORMERLY PROFESSOR OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, ANDERSON’S COLLEGE, GLASGOW)

AUTHOR OF “THE TRANSIT OF VENUS,” RENDU’S “THEORY OF THE GLACIERS OF SAVOY,” ETC., ETC.



CONTENTS

PREFACE
BOOK I. THE GEOMETRICAL PERIOD
1. PRIMITIVE ASTRONOMY AND ASTROLOGY
2. ANCIENT ASTRONOMY—CHINESE AND CHALDÆANS
3. ANCIENT GREEK ASTRONOMY
4. THE REIGN OF EPICYCLES—FROM PTOLEMY TO COPERNICUS
BOOK II. THE DYNAMICAL PERIOD
5. DISCOVERY OF THE TRUE SOLAR SYSTEM—TYCHO BRAHE—KEPLER
6. GALILEO AND THE TELESCOPE—NOTIONS OF GRAVITY BY HORROCKS, ETC.
7. SIR ISAAC NEWTON—LAW OF UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION
8. NEWTON’S SUCCESSORS—HALLEY, EULER, LAGRANGE, LAPLACE, ETC.
9. DISCOVERY OF NEW PLANETS—HERSCHEL, PIAZZI, ADAMS, AND LE VERRIER
BOOK III. OBSERVATION
10. INSTRUMENTS OF PRECISION—SIZE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
11. HISTORY OF THE TELESCOPE—SPECTROSCOPE
BOOK IV. THE PHYSICAL PERIOD
12. THE SUN
13. THE MOON AND PLANETS
14. COMETS AND METEORS
15. THE STARS AND NEBULÆ
ILLUSTRATIONS
INDEX