bert Ball. Also to the
works of the late Mr. R. A. Proctor, Sirs W. and J. Herschel, Admiral
Smyth, Professor Grant, Mr. J. R. Hind, Sir David Brewster, Rev. A. B.
Whatton, and Prebendary Webb.

Most of the illustrations have been supplied by the Publishers: Messrs.
Macmillan and W. Hunt & Co. have kindly permitted the reproduction of
some of their drawings.

MANCHESTER, _March 1896_.

CHAPTER I

A SHORT HISTORICAL SKETCH OF ASTRONOMY

Astronomy is the oldest and most sublime of all the sciences. To a
contemplative observer of the heavens, the number and brilliancy of the
stars, the lustre of the planets, the silvery aspect of the Moon, with
her ever-changing phases, together with the order, the harmony, and
unison pervading them all, create in his mind thoughts of wonder and
admiration. Occupying the abyss of space indistinguishable from
infinity, the starry heavens in grandeur and magnificence surpass the
loftiest conceptions of the human mind; for, at a distance beyond the
range of ordinary vision, the telescope reveals clusters, systems,
galaxies, universes of stars--suns--the innumerable host of heaven, each
shining with a splendour comparable with that of our Sun, and, in all
likelihood, fulfilling in a similar manner the same beneficent purposes.

The time when man began to study the stars is lost in the antiquity of
prehistoric ages. The ancient inhabitants of the Earth regarded the
heavenly bodies with veneration and awe, erected temples in their
honour, and worshipped them as deities. Historical records of astronomy
carry us back several thousand years. During the greater part of this
time, and until a comparatively recent period, astronomy was associated
with astrology--a science which originated from a desire on the part of
mankind to penetrate the future, and which was based upon the supposed
influence of the heavenly bodies upon human and terrestrial affairs. It
was natural to imagine that the overruling power which governed and
directed the course of sublunary events resided in the heavens, and that
its decrees might be understood by watching the movements of the
heavenly bodies under its control. It was, therefore, believed that by
observing the configuration of the planets and the positions of the
constellations at the instant of the birth of an individual, his
horoscope, or destiny, could be foretold; and that by making
observations of a somewhat similar nature the occurrence of events o