The Trouvelot Astronomical Drawings Manual - Brossura

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1150176768 ISBN 13: 9781150176760

Riassunto

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1882. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... THE PLANET SATURN. Plate X. Saturn, which is next to Jupiter in order of distance from the Sun, while not the largest, is certainly the most beautiful and interesting of all the planets, with his grand and unique system of rings, and his eight satellites, which, like faithful servants, attend the planet's interminable journey through space. Seen with the naked eye, Saturn shines in the night like a star of the first magnitude, whose dull, soft whiteness is, however, far from attaining the brilliancy of Venus or Jupiter, although it sometimes approaches Mars in brightness. Saturn hardly ever exhibits the phenomenon of scintillation, or twinkling, a peculiarity which makes it easily distinguishable among the stars and planets of the heavens. The synodical period of Saturn occupies I year and 13 days, so that every 378 days, on an average, this planet holds the same position in the sky relatively to the Sun and the Earth. The mean distance of Saturn from the Sun is a little over g]4 times that of our globe, or 872,000,000 miles. Owing to the orbital eccentricity, this distance may increase to 921,000,000 miles, when the planet is in aphelion; or decrease to 823,000,000 miles, when it is in perihelion; Saturn being therefore 98,000,000 miles nearer to the Sun when in perihelion than in aphelion. If gravitation were free to exert its influence alone, Saturn would fall into the Sun in 5 years and 2 months. The distance of Saturn from the Earth varies, according to the position of the two planets in their respective orbits. At the time of opposition, when the Earth lies between the Sun and Saturn, this distance is smallest ; while, on the contrary, at the time of conjunction, when the Sun lies between the Earth and Saturn, it is greatest. Owing, however, to the eccentr...

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• ISBN 10: 1150176768
• ISBN 13: 9781150176760
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile