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         NEW THEORIES IN ASTRONOMY

                    BY

             WILLIAM STIRLING

              CIVIL ENGINEER

              [Illustration]

                 London:

    E. & F. N. SPON, LIMITED, 57 HAYMARKET

                New York:

     SPON & CHAMBERLAIN, 123 LIBERTY STREET

                  1906




TO THE READER.

Mr. William Stirling, Civil Engineer, who devoted the last years of his
life to writing this work, was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, his father
being the Rev. Robert Stirling, D.D., of that city, and his brothers,
the late Mr. Patrick Stirling and Mr. James Stirling, the well known
engineers and designers of Locomotive Engines for the Great Northern
and South Eastern Railways respectively.

After completing his studies in Scotland he settled in South America,
and was engaged as manager and constructing engineer in important
railway enterprises on the west coast, besides other concerns both in
Peru and Chile; his last work being the designing and construction
of the railway from the port of Tocopilla on the Pacific Ocean to
the Nitrate Fields of Toco in the interior, the property of the
Anglo-Chilian and Nitrate Railway Company.

He died in Lima, Peru, on the 7th October, 1900, much esteemed and
respected, leaving the MS. of the present work behind him, which is now
published as a tribute to his memory, and wish to put before those who
are interested in the Science of Astronomy his theories to which he
devoted so much thought.




                        CONTENTS.
                                                               PAGE
                       INTRODUCTION.                              1

                        CHAPTER I.

  The bases of modern astronomy. Their late formation            18
  Instruments and measures used by ancient astronomers           19
  Weights and measures sought out by modern astronomers          20
  Means employed to discover the density of the earth.
       Measuring by means of plummets not sufficiently exact     20
  Measurements with torsion and chemical balances more accurate  21
  Sir George B. Airy's theory,
       and experiments at the Harton colliery                    22
  Results of experiments not reliable.
       Theory contrary to the Law of Attraction                  23
  Proof by arithmetical calculation of its error                 24
  Difficulties in comparing beats of pendulums at top
       and bottom of a mine                                      26
  The theory upheld by text-books without proper examination     27
  Of a particle of matter within the shell of a hollow sphere.
       Not exempt from the law of Attraction                     28
  A particle so situated confronted with the law of the
       inverse square ofdistance from an attracting body.
       Remarks thereon                                           29
  It is not true that the attraction of a spherical shell
       is "zero" for a particle of matter within it              31

                        CHAPTER II.

  The moon cannot have even an imaginary rotation on its axis,
       but is generally believed to have.
       Quotations to prove this                                  33
  Proofs that there can be no rotation. The most confused
       assertion that there is rotation shown to be without
       foundations                                               35
  A gin horse does not rotate on its axis in its revolution      37
  A gin horse, or a substitute, driven instead of being a driver 38
  Results of the wooden horse being driven by the mill           38
  The same results produced by the revolution of the moon.
       Centrifugal force sufficient to drive air and water
       away from our side of the moon                            39
  That force not sufficient to drive them away from
       its other side                                            40
  No one seems ever to have thought of centrifugal force in
       connection with air and water on the moon                 41
  Near approach made by Hansen to this notion                    41
  Far-fetched reasons given for the non-appearance
       of air and water                                          42
  The moon must have both on the far-off hemisphere              44
  Proofs of this deduced from its appearance at change           44
  Where the evidences of this may be seen if looked for
       at the right place. The centrifugal force shown to
       be insufficient to drive off even air, and less water,
       altogether from the moon                                  45
  The moon must have rotated on its axis at one period
       of its existence                                          47
  The want of polar compression no proof to the contrary         48
  Want of proper study gives rise to extravagant conceptions,
       jumping at conclusions, and formation of
       "curious theories"                                        48

                        CHAPTER III.

  Remarks on some of the principal cosmogonies. Ancient notions  49
  The Nebular hypothesis of Laplace. Early opinions on it.
       Received into favour. Again condemned as erroneous        50
  Defects attributed to it as fatal. New cosmogonies advanced    51
  Dr. Croll's collision, or impact, theory discussed             53
  Dr. Braun's cosmogony examined                                 59
  M. Faye's "Origine du Monde" defined                           61
  Shown to be without proper foundation, confused, and
       in some parts contradictory                               65
  Reference to other hypotheses not noticed. All more or less
       only variations on the nebular hypothesis                 70
  Necessity for more particular examination into it              71

                        CHAPTER IV.

  Preliminaries to analysis of the Nebular hypothesis            72
  Definition of the hypothesis                                   73
  Elements of solar system. Tables of dimensions and masses      75
  Explanation of tables and density of Saturn                    78
  Volume, density and mass of Saturn's rings, general remarks
       about them, and satellites to be made from them           79
  Future of Saturn's rings                                       79
  Notions about Saturn