Man's Place in the Universe: A Study of the Results of Scientific Research in Relation to the Unity Or Plurality of Worlds |
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aggregation amount animal astronomers atmosphere body bright carbon carbonic acid central centre chromosphere circle colour complex conclusion continuous crust dark rifts dense density determined diameter direction distance distribution double stars earth elements enormous equal evidence exist fact Galaxy gaseous gases geological globe gravitation greater heat heavens hemisphere Herschel important increase indicated infinite larger less life-development light Lord Kelvin magnitude mass matter measured meteorites miles Milky millions minute molecules moon nearly nebulæ number of stars observations ocean orbit organic Osmond Fisher oxygen parallax particles perhaps period planets portion position probably produced Professor Newcomb proper motions proportion protoplasm R. A. Proctor regions render result revolving Right Ascension seen siderable solar cluster solar system southern hemisphere space spectra spectroscope spectroscopic binary spectrum spiral stellar universe structure sufficient sun's supposed surface telescope temperature tion vapour vast vegetable velocity visible whole
Popular passages
Page 312 - Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
Page 266 - ... the Sauropsida, it is almost appalling to reflect how far back in Palaeozoic times we must go, before we can hope to arrive at that common stock from which the Crocodilia, Lacertilia, Ornithoscelida, and Plesiosauria, which had attained so great a development in the Triassic epoch, must have been derived.
Page 108 - How does this fact consist with the hypothesis that nebulae are remote galaxies ? If there were but one nebula, it would be a curious coincidence were this one nebula so placed in the distant regions of space, as to agree in direction with a starless spot in our own sidereal system. If there were but two nebulae, and both were so placed, the coincidence would be excessively strange.
Page 64 - Throughout by far the larger portion of the extent of the Milk-y Way in both hemispheres, the general blackness of the ground of the heavens on which its stars are projected, and the absence of that innumerable multitude and excessive crowding of the smallest visible magnitudes, and of glare produced by the aggregate light of multitudes too small to affect the eye singly, which the contrary supposition would appear to necessitate, must, we think, be considered unequivocal indications that its dimensions...
Page 265 - In this earliest known varied life we find no evidence of its having lived near the beginning of the zoological series. In a broad sense, compared with what must have gone before, both biologically and physically, all the phenomena connected with this old period...
Page 144 - That collection of stars which we call the universe is limited in extent. The smallest stars that we see with the most powerful telescopes are not, for the most part, more distant than those a grade brighter, but are mostly stars of less luminosity, situate in the same regions. This does not preclude the possibility that far outside of our universe there may be other collections of stars of which we know nothing.
Page 173 - ... largely on the data. It may, therefore, well be that the small excess of 45 found within this strip is due to the fact that more stars were observed and investigated, and, therefore, more proper motions found. Besides this, some uncertainty may exist as to the reality of the minuter proper motions. The conclusion is interesting and important. If we should blot out from the sky all the stars having no proper motion large enough to be detected, we should find remaining stars of all magnitudes ;...
Page 61 - Sagittarii, where it suddenly collects into a vivid oval mass about 6° in length and 4° in breadth, so excessively rich in stars that a very moderate calculation makes their number exceed 100,000.
Page xii - ... support to the view that our earth is the only inhabited planet, not only in the Solar System but in the whole stellar universe.
Page 23 - More Worlds than One. The Creed of the Philosopher and the Hope of the Christian.