Saturn and Its System; Containing Discussions of the Motions (Real and Apparent) and Telescopic Appearance of the Planet Saturn, Its Satellites, and R (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1865 edition. Excerpt: ... At length the heavenly bodies appear. First the mid-day sun breaks through the cloudy envelope still surrounding the earth; not until many ages have elapsed appears The moon Globose; then ev'ry magnitude of stars.* In this manner may be explained those passages in the Scripture account of creation, which (literally interpreted) appear most opposed to Laplace's Theory, and, I think, to any rational conceptions of the former state of our earth or of the solar system. Into the other difficulties which attend the literal interpretation of that account, or, on the other hand, into the singular correspondence exhibited between the features of the successive days of Creation, considered as visions, and the main features of the successive geological epochs, I do not propose to enter: on these points, the reader is referred to works especially treating of those subjects, t It may be noticed in conclusion, that in Saturn's ring-system we seem to see the processes conceived by Laplace going on before our eyes; so that it is not impossible that in the course of time we may obtain evidence founded on' observation and calculation' of the truth of that theory which Laplace despaired of seeing established on a firmer foundation than that of 'strong probability.' Asia formed the southern limits of a vast northern ocean, a series of promontories pointing northwards marking the outline of a vast southern continent. * Miller (see following note) fails to notice the correspondence between the order in which the heavenly bodies are mentioned (Genesis i. 14-18), and the order in which they must successively have appeared. He describes the stars as appearing before tho sun. t See Miller's 'Testimony of the Rocks: ' Lectures III. and IV.; and authors referred to...