Book of the Heavens Descriptive and Explanatory
THE UNIVERSE: ITS MAGNITUDE AND MEANING
THE SOLAR SYSTEM: Sun, Planets, Moon, Constellations, Stars, Comets, Meteors, Nebulæ, and other Wonders of the Skies
ORIGIN OF THE WORLDS: THE NEBULAR HYPOTHESIS
ECLIPSES: CAUSES AND EXPLANATION
MYTHOLOGY OF THE CONSTELLATIONS
DICTIONARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS
STAR CHARTS AND MAPS
NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES
| 1. Crowded group of stars seen in the constellation Hercules. | Solar system | Solar system |
| 2. Beautiful circular group of stars in Aquarius. Very brilliant toward the center. | ||
| 3-4. Fan-shaped groups of stars, frequently to be observed. | ||
| 5. Round nebula of Ursa Major. | ||
| 6. A fine star in Gemini with a great, oval atmosphere. | ||
| 7. Star in Leo Major in the middle of nebula with very pointed ends. | ||
| 8-9. Nebulæ with luminous trains like the tail of a comet. | ||
| 10. Two stars in Canes Venatici joined by elliptical nebula. | ||
| 11. Elliptical nebula in Sagittarius with a star in each of the foci. | ||
| 12-13. Round nebula in Auriga with three stars in a triangle. | ||
| 14. Great nebula in Andromeda. | ||
| 15. Comet of 1819, of remarkable size. | ||
| 16-17. Great comet of 1811. | ||
| 18. Surface of the planet Mars, showing the supposed continents and seas. | ||
| 19. Disk of the great planet Jupiter with its dark streaks and masses. | ||
| 20. The wonderful planet Saturn with its remarkable rings. | ||
| Explanation of Figures in Diagram | DIAGRAM SHOWING RELATIVE ORBITS OF THE PLANETS AROUND THE SUN | Rate at which the Planets Travel |
Central diagram enlarged (245 kB)
Right-hand side illustration enlarged (181 kB)
Solar system
DIAGRAM SHOWING RELATIVE ORBITS OF THE PLANETS AROUND THE SUN
Explanation of Figures in Diagram
1. Crowded group of stars seen in the constellation Hercules.
2. Beautiful circular group of stars in Aquarius. Very brilliant toward the center.
3-4. Fan-shaped groups of stars, frequently to be observed.
5. Round nebula of Ursa Major.
6. A fine star in Gemini with a great, oval atmosphere.
7. Star in Leo Major in the middle of nebula with very pointed ends.
8-9. Nebulæ with luminous trains like the tail of a comet.
10. Two stars in Canes Venatici joined by elliptical nebula.
11. Elliptical nebula in Sagittarius with a star in each of the foci.
12-13. Round nebula in Auriga with three stars in a triangle.
14. Great nebula in Andromeda.
15. Comet of 1819, of remarkable size.
16-17. Great comet of 1811.
18. Surface of the planet Mars, showing the supposed continents and seas.
19. Disk of the great planet Jupiter with its dark streaks and masses.
20. The wonderful planet Saturn with its remarkable rings.
Solar system
Rate at which the Planets Travel
BOOK OF THE HEAVENS
THE UNIVERSE—THE SOLAR SYSTEM—PLANETS—SUN—MOON—CONSTELLATIONS—STARS—COMETS—METEORS—NEBULÆ—NEBULAR HYPOTHESIS—ECLIPSES—MYTHOLOGY OF THE CONSTELLATIONS—DICTIONARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS USED IN ASTRONOMY.
HOW THE PLANETS WOULD APPEAR IF GROUPED IN SPACE
In the above picture we have represented the planets of the Solar System as we should see them from the earth if the human eye could grasp a space of such immensity. The spectator is supposed to be standing on the earth, and the moon is in the foreground, 240,000 miles away. The planets are in their order outward from the sun, and vary in distance from 40,000,000 miles, in the case of Mars, to 2,700,000,000 miles in the case of Neptune. From the bottom upward, the planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and its rings, Uranus and Neptune.