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THE 

STORY OF THE HEAVENS

BY

SIR ROBERT BALL

WITH TWENTY-FOUR COLOURED PLATES AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS

NEW AND REVISED EDITION

LONDON,

CASSELL AND COMPANY LIMITED

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DESCRIPTION: full contemporary calf, PRIZE BINDING xii, 568pp.  24 Coloured plates, with illustrations throughout the text including frontispiece of Saturn. N.B - this is a heavy book - 1.5kg (3.3lb)

CONDITION: FINE.  Binding sound - no restoration.  Minor wear only to leather covers - surface rubbing to the outer joints but no serious cracking/damage. Minor split to top of front joint (see first photo below) Sunning to spine. All edges marbled.  Original endpapers uncracked. Prize plate to front pastedown. Some occasional light foxing, but generally excellent otherwise. A superb copy in a contemporary leather binding.  See full preface below, along with the contents and full list of illustrations.

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Sir Robert Stawell Ball FRS (1840 –1913) was an Irish astronomer. He was the son of naturalist Robert Ball and Amelia Gresley Hellicar.

Ball worked for Lord Rosse from 1865 to 1867. In 1867 he became Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin. There he lectured on mechanics and published an elementary account of the science.

In 1874 Ball was appointed Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Andrews Professor of Astronomy in the University of Dublin at Dunsink Observatory.

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PREFACE & CONTENTS (Based on the slightly earlier - 1900 - edition)

PREFACE TO ORIGINAL EDITION. 

I HAVE to acknowledge the kind aid which I have received 

in the preparation of this book. 

Mr. Nasmyth has permitted me to use some of the 

beautiful drawings of the Moon, which have appeared in the 

well-known work published by him in conjunction with Mr. 

Carpenter. To this source I am indebted for Plates VII., VIII., 

IX., X, and Figs. 28, 29, 30. 

Professor Pickering has allowed me to copy some of the 

drawings made at Harvard College Observatory by Mr. 

Trouvelot, and I have availed myself of his kindness for 

Plates I, IV., XII, XV. 

I am indebted to Professor Langley for Plate II., to Mr. 

De la Rue for Plates III. and XIV, to Mr. T. E. Key for Plate 

XVII., to Professor Schiaparelli for Plate XVIII., to the late 

Professor C. Piazzi Smyth for Fig. 100, to Mr. Chambers for 

Fig. 7, which has been borrowed from his " Handbook of 

Descriptive Astronomy," to Dr. Stoney for Fig. 78, and to 

Dr. Copeland and Dr. Dreyer for Fig. 72. I have to 

acknowledge the valuable assistance derived from Professor 

Newcomb's " Popular Astronomy," and Professor Young's 

"Sun." In revising the volume I have had the kind aid of 

the Rev. Maxwell Close. 

I have also to thank Dr. Copeland and Mr. Steele for their 

kindness in reading through the entire proofs ; while I have 

also occasionally availed myself of the help of Mr. Cathcart. 

ROBERT S. BALL. 

OBSERVATOBY, DUNSINK, Co. DUBLIN. 

12th May, 1886. 

NOTE TO THIS EDITION. 

I HAVE taken the opportunity in the present edition to revise 

the work in accordance with the recent progress of astronomy. 

I am indebted to the Royal Astronomical Society for the 

permission to reproduce some photographs from their published 

series, and to Mr. Henry F. Griffiths, for beautiful drawings 

of Jupiter, from which Plate XL was prepared. 

ROBERT S. BALL 

CAMBRIDGE, 

1st May, 1900. 

CONTENTS. 

INTRODUCTION 

CHAPTER 

I. THE ASTRONOMICAL' OBSERVATORY 9 

II. THE SUN 

III. THE MOON 70 

IV. THE SOLAR SYSTEM 

VIII. VENUS 

XII. JUPITER 

107 

V. THE LAW OF GRAVITATION .122 

VI. THE PLANET OF ROMANCE ' 15 

VII. MERCURY 

155 

167 

IX. THE EARTH .. 192 

X. MARS . . 208 

XI. THE MINOR PLANETS 229 

245 

XIII. SATURN 268 

XIV. URANUS 298 

XV. NEPTUNE ,' 315 

XVI. COMETS .... 336 

XVII. SHOOTING STARS .... 372 

XVIII. THE STARRY HEAVENS 409 

XIX. THE DISTANT SUNS 42;5 

XX. DOUBLE STARS 434 

XXI. THE DISTANCES OF THE STARS 44 * 

viii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER PAGK 

XXII. STAR CLUSTERS AND NEBULJK 461 

XXIII. THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF THE STARS 477 

XXIV. THE PRECESSION AND NUTATION OF THE EARTH'S Axis . . . 492 

XXV. THE ABERRATION OF LIGHT ,503 

XXVI. THE ASTRONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF HEAT 513 

XXVII. THE TIDES 531 

APPENDIX . 55fc 

LIST OF PLATES. 

PLATE 

I. Tho Planet Saturn Frontispiece 

II. A Typical Sun-spot To face page 9 

A. The Sun 44 

III. Spots and Faculse on the Sun 37 

IV. Solar Prominences or Flames 57 

V. The Solar Corona 62 

VI. Chart of the Moon's Surface 81 

B. Portion of the Moon 88 

VII. The Lunar Crater Triesnecker .... 93 

VIII. A Normal Lunar Crater ...... 97 

IX. The Lunar Crater Plato 102 

X. The Lunar Crater Tycho 106 

XI. The Planet Jupiter 254 

XII. Coggia's Comet 340 

C. Comet A., 1892, 1 Swift 358 

XIII. Spectra of the Sun and of three Stars ... 47 

D. The Milky Way, near Messier II. ... 462 

XIV. The Great Nebula in Orion ..... 466 

XV. The Great Nebula in Andromeda .... 468 

E. Nebulae in the Pleiades 472 

F. w Centauri 474 

XVI. Nebulae observed with Lord Eosse's Telescope . 476 

XVII. The Comet of 1882 357 

XVIII. Schiaparelli's Map of Mars . . . ' . . ,. .. 221 

LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS. 

HO. PAOE 

1. Principle of the Refracting Telescope 11 

2. Dome of the South Equatorial at Dunsink Observatory, Co. Dublin . 12 

3. Section of the Dome of Dunsink Observatory 13 

4. The Telescope at Yerkes Observatory, Chicago 15 

5. Principle of Herschel's Reflecting Telescope 16 

6. South Front of the Yerkes Observatory, Chicago 17 

7. Lord Rosse's Telescope 18 

8. Meridian Circle 20 

9. The Great Bear 27 

10. Comparative Sizes of the Earth and the Sun 30 

11. The Sun, photographed September 22, 1870 33 

12. Photograph of the Solar Surface 35 

13. An ordinary Sun-spot 36 

14. Schemer's Observations on Sun-spots 38 

15. Zones on the Sun's Surface in which Spots appear .... 39 

16. Texture of the Sun and a small Spot 43 

17. The Prism 45 

18. Dispersion of Light by the Prism .46 

19. Prominences seen in Total Eclipses 53 

20. View of the Corona in a Total Eclipse 62 

21. View of Corona during Eclipse of January 22, 1898 .... 63 

22. The Zodiacal Light in 1874 69 

23. Comparative Sizes of the Earth and the Moon 73 

24. The Moon's Path around the Sun 76 

25. The Phases of the Moon 76 

26. The Earth's Shadow and Penumbra 78 

27. Key to Chart of the Moon (Plate VI.) 81 

28. Lunar Volcano in Activity : Nasmyth's Theory 97 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xi 

FIG. PAGE 

29. Lunar Volcano : Subsequent Feeble Activity 97 

30. Formation of the Level Floor by Lava . . 98 

31. Orbits of the Four Interior Planets 115 

32. The Earth's Movement 116 

33. Orbits of the Four Giant Planets 117 

34. Apparent Size of the Sun from various Planets 118 

35. Comparative Sizes of the Planets 119 

36. Illustration of the Moon's Motion 130 

37. Drawing an Ellipse 137 

38. Varying Velocity of Elliptic Motion 140 

39. Equal Areas in Equal Times . . 141 

40. Transit of the Planet of Romance 153 

41. Variations in Phase and apparent Size of Mercury .... 160 

42. Mercury as a Crescent 161 

43. Venus, May 29, 1889 . . . 170 

44. Different Aspects of Venus in the Telescope 171 

45. Venus on the Sun at the Transit of 1874 177 

46. Paths of Venus across the Sun in the Transits of 1874 and 1882 . 179 

47. A Transit of Venus, as seen from Two Localities 183 

48. Orbits of the Earth and of Mars 210 

49. Apparent Movements of Mars in 1877 212 

50. Relative Sizes of Mars and the Earth- 216 

51. 52. Drawings of Mars 217 

53. Elevations and Depressions on the Terminator of Mars . . .217 

54. The Southern Polar Cap on Mars 217 

55. The Zone of Minor Planets between Mars and Jupiter . . . 234 

56. Relative Dimensions of Jupiter and the Earth 246 

57 60. The Occultation of Jupiter 255 

61. Jupiter and his Four Satellites 258 

62. Disappearances of Jupiter's Satellites 259 1 

63. Mode of Measuring the Velocity of Light 264 

64. Saturn 270 

65. Relative Sizes of Saturn and the Earth . . . . . .273 

65. Method of Measuring the Rotation of Saturn's Rings . . . .288 

67. ...'. 289 

xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

no. ('ADR 

68. Transit' of Titiin and its Shadow . 295 

69. Parabolic Path of a Comet 339 

70. Orbit of Encke's Comet 346 

71. Tail of a Comet directed from the Sun 363 

72. Bredichin's Theory of Comets' Tails 366 

73. Tails of the Comet of 1858 367 

74. The Comet of 1744 368 

75. The Path of the Fireball of November 6, 1869 375 

76. The Orbit of a Shoal of Meteors 378 

77. Eadiant Point of Shootirig Stars 381 

78. The History of the Leonids 385 

79. Section of the Chaco Meteorite 398 

80. The Great Bear and Pole Star . 410 

81. The Great Bear and Cassiopeia 411 

82. The Great Square of Pegasus 413 

83. Perseus and its Neighbouring Stars 415 

84. The Pleiades . 416 

85. Orion, Sirius, and Neighbouring Stars 417 

86. Castor and Pollux 418 

87. The Great Bear and the Lion 419 

88. Bootes and the Crown 420 

89. Virgo and Neighbouring Constellations 421 

90. The Constellation of Lyra 422 

91. Vega, the Swan, and the E;igle 423 

92. The Orbit of Sirius 426 

93. The Parallactic Ellipse 444 

94. 61 Cygni and the Comparison Stars 447 

95. Parallax in Declination of 61 Cygni 450 

96. Globular Cluster in Hercules 463 

97. Position of the Great Nebula in Orion 466 

98. The Multiple Star 6 Orionis . . . 407 

99. The Nebula N. G. C. 1499 . 471 

100. Star-Map, showing Precessional Movement 493 

101. Illustration of the Motion of Precession 495