Astronomy for Amateurs

Madame : I have dedicated none of my works, save Stella—offered to the liberal-minded, the free and generous friend of progress, and patron of the sciences, James Gordon Bennett, editor of the New York Herald. In this volume, Madame, I make another exception, and ask your permission to offer it to the first woman who consented to be enrolled in the list of members of the Astronomical Society of France, as foundress of this splendid work, from the very beginning of our vast association (1887); and who also desired to take part in the permanent organization of the Observatory at Juvisy, a task of private enterprise, emancipated from administrative routine. An Astronomy for Women [1] can not be better placed than upon the table of a lady whose erudition is equal to her virtues, and who has consecrated her long career to the pursuit and service of the Beautiful, the Good, and the True. Camille Flammarion. Observatory of Juvisy , November, 1903 . CONTENTS Introduction 1 I. The Contemplation of the Heavens 10 II. The Constellations 28 III. The Stars, Suns of the Infinite. A Journey through Space 56 IV. Our Star the Sun 88 V. The Planets. A. Mercury, Venus, The Earth, Mars 113 VI. The Planets. B. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune 146 VII. The Comets 172 VIII. The Earth 205 IX. The Moon 232 X. The Eclipses 259 XI. On Methods. How Celestial Distances are Determined, and How the Sun is Weighed 287 XII. Life, Universal and Eternal 317 Index 341 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Contemplation Frontispiece From a painting by Paul Renaud FIG. PAGE 1. The great Book of the Heavens is open to all eyes 15 2. The earth in space. June solstice, midday 20 3. The Great Bear (or Dipper) and the Pole Star 34 4. To find the Pole Star 35 5. To find Cassiopeia 37 6. To find Pegasus and Andromeda 37 7. Perseus, the Pleiades, Capella 38 8. To find Arcturus, the Herdsman, and the Northern Crown 40 9. The Swan, Vega, the Eagle 41 10. The Constellations of the Zodiac: summer and autumn; Capricorn, Archer, Scorpion, Balance, Virgin, Lion 46 11. The Constellations of the Zodiac: winter and spring; Crab, Twins, Bull, Ram, Fishes, Water-Carrier 47 12. Orion and his celestial companions 48 13. Winter Constellations 51 14. Spring Constellations 52 15. Summer Constellations 53 16. Autumn Constellations 54 17. The double…