Introduction
Three kinds of astronomy -- Progress of the science during
the eighteenth century-- Popularity and advance during the
nineteenth century
Progress of Astronomy During the First Half of
the Nineteenth Century
Foundation of Sidereal Astronomy
State of knowledge regarding the stars in the eighteenth
century -- Career of Sir William Herschel -- Constitution
of the stellar system -- Double stars -- Herschel's
discovery of their revolutions -- His method of
star-gauging -- Discoveries of nebulae -- Theory of their
condensation into stars -- Summary of results
Progress of Sidereal Astronomy
Exact astronomy in Germany -- career of Bessel -- His
Fundamental Astromiae -- Career of Fraunhofer
-- Parallaxes of fixed stars -- Translation of the solar
system -- Astronomy of the invisible -- Struve's researches
in double stars -- Sir John Herschel's exploration of the
heavens -- Fifty years' progress
Progress of Knowledge Regarding the
Sun
Early views as to the nature of sun-spots -- Wilson's
observations and reasonings -- Sir William Herschel's
theory of the solar constitution -- Sir John Herschel's
trade-wind hypothesis -- Baily's Beads -- Total solar
eclipse of 1842 -- Corona and prominences -- Eclipse of
1851
Planetary Discoveries
Bode's Law -- Search for a missing planet -- Its discovery
by Piazzi -- Further discoveries of minor planets --
Unexplained disturbance of Uranus -- Discovery of Neptune
-- Its satellite - An eighth Saturnian moon - Saturn's
dusky ring - The Uranian system
Comets
Predicted return of Halley's Comet -- Career of Olbers --
Acceleration of Encke's Comet -- Biela's Comet -- Its
duplication -- Faye's Comet -- Comet of 1811 -- Electrical
theory of cometary emanations -- The Earth in a comet's
tail -- Second return of Halley's Comet -- Great Comet of
1843 -- Results to knowledge
Instrumental advances
Two principles of telescopic construction -- Early
reflectors -- Three varieties -- Herschel's specula -- High
magnifying powers -- Invention of the achromatic lens --
Guinand's optical glass -- The great Ross reflector -- Its
disclosures -- Mounting of telescopes -- Astronomical
circles -- Personal equation
Recent Progress of Astronomy
Foundation of Astronomical Physics
Schwabe's discovery of a decennial sun-spot period --
Coincidence with periods of magnetic disturbance --
Sun-spots and weather -- Spectrum analysis - Preliminary
inquiries -- Fraunhofer lines -- Kirchhoff's principle --
Anticipations -- Elementary principles of spectrum analysis
-- Unity of nature
Solar Observations and Theories
Black openings in spots -- Carrington's observations --
Rotation of the Sun -- Kirchhoff's theory of the solar
constitution -- Faye's views -- Solar photography -- Kew
observations -- Spectroscopic method -- Cyclonic theory of
sun-spots -- Volcanic hypothesis -- a solar outburst --
Sun-spot periodicity -- Planetary influence -- Structure of
the photosphere
Recent Solar Eclipses
Expeditions to Spain -- Great Indian eclipse -- New method
of viewing prominences -- Total eclipse visible in North
America -- Spectrum of the corona -- Eclipse of 1870 --
Young's reversing layer -- Eclipse of 1871 -- Corona of
1878 -- Varying coronal types -- Egyptian eclipse --
Daylight coronal photography -- Observations at Caroline
Island -- Photographs of corona in 1886 and 1889 --
Eclipses of 1896, 1898, 1900, and 1901 -- Mechanical theory
of corona
Solar Spectroscopy
Chemistry of prominences -- Study of their forms -- Two
classes -- Photographs and spectrographs of prominences --
Their distribution -- Structure of the chromosphere --
Spectroscopic determination of solar rotation -- Velocities
of transport in the Sun -- Lockyear's theory of
dissociation -- Solar constituents -- Oxygen absorption in
solar spectrum
Temperature of the Sun
Thermal power of the Sun -- Radiation and temperature --
Estimates of solar temperature -- Rosetti's and Wilson's
results -- Zöllner's method -- Langley's experiment at
Pittsburgh -- the Sun's atmosphere -- Langley's bolometric
researches -- Selective absorption by our air -- the Solar
constant
The Sun's Distance
Difficulty of the problem -- Opposition of Mars -- Transits
of Venus -- Lunar disturbance -- Velocity of light --
Transit of 1874 -- Inconclusive result -- Opposition of
Mars in 1877 -- Measurements of minor planets -- Transit of
1882 -- Newcomb's determination of the velocity of light --
Combined result
Planets and Satellites
Schröter's life and work -- Luminous appearances
during transits of Mercury -- Mountains of Mercury --
Intra-Mercurian planets -- Schiaparelli's results for the
rotation of Mercury and Venus -- Ashen light -- Solidity of
the Earth -- Variation of latitude -- Secular changes of
climate -- Figure of the globe -- Study of the Moon's
surface -- Lunar atmosphere -- New craters -- Thermal
energy of moonlight -- Tidal friction -- Analogy between
Mars and the Earth -- Martian snowcaps, seas, and
continents -- Climate and atmosphere -- Schiaparelli's
canals -- Discovery of two Martian satellites --
Photographic detection of minor planets -- Orbit of Eros --
Distribution of the minor planets -- Their collective mass
and estimated diameters -- Condition of Jupiter -- His
spectrum -- Transits of his satellites -- Discovery of a
fifth satellite -- The Great Red Spot -- Constitution of
Saturn's rings -- Period of rotation of the planet --
Variability of Japetus -- Equatorial markings on Uranus --
His spectrum -- Rotation of Neptune -- Trans-Neptunian
planets
Theories of Planetary Evolution
Origin of the world according to Kant -- Laplace's nebular
hypothesis -- Maintenance of the Sun's heat -- Meteoric
hypothesis -- Radiation as an effect of contraction --
Regenerative theory -- Faye's scheme of planetary
development -- Origin of the Moon -- Effects of tidal
friction
Recent Comets
Donati's Comet -- the Earth again involved in a comet's
tail -- Comets of the August and November meteors -- Star
showers -- Comets and meteors -- Biela's Comet and the
Andromedes -- Holmes's Comet -- Deflection of the Leonids
-- Orbits of meteorites -- Meteors with stationary radiants
-- Spectroscopic analysis of cometary light -- Comet of
1901 -- Coggia's Comet -- Forms of comet's tails --
Electrical repulsion -- Brédikhine's three types --
Great Southern Comet -- Supposed previous appearances --
Tebbutt's Comet and the Comet of 1807 -- Successful
photographs -- Schaeberle's Comet -- Comet Wells -- Sodium
blaze in spectrum -- Great Comet of 1882 -- Transit across
the Sun -- Relations to Comets of 1843 and 1880 -- Cometary
systems -- Spectral changes in Comet of 1882 -- Brook's
Comet of 1889 -- Swift's Comet of 1892 -- Origin of
comets
Stars and Nebulae
Stellar chemistry -- Four orders of stars -- their relative
ages -- Gaseous stars -- Spectroscopic star-catalogues --
stellar chemistry -- hydrogen spectrum in stars -- the
Draper Catalogue -- Velocities of stars in line of sight --
spectroscopic binaries -- Eclipses of Algol -- Catalogues
of variables -- New stars -- Outbursts in nebulae -- Nova
Aurigae -- Nova Persei -- Gaseous nebulae -- Variable
nebulae -- Movements of nebulae -- Stellar and nebular
photography --Nebulae in the Pleiades -- Photographic
star-charting -- Stellar parallax -- Double stars --
Stellar photometry -- Status of nebulae -- Photographs and
drawings of the Milky Way -- Star drift
Methods of Research
Development of telescopic power -- Silvered glass
reflectors -- Giant refractors -- Comparison with
reflectors -- the Yerkes telescope -- Atmospheric
disturbance -- the Lick Observatory -- Mechanical
difficulties -- the equatorial Coudé -- the
photographic camera -- Retrospect and conclusion
Appendix
Chronology, 1774-1893 -- Chemical elements in the Sun
(Rowland, 1891) -- Epochs of sun-spot maximum and minimum
from 1610 to 1901 -- Movements of Sun and stars -- List of
great telescopes -- List of observatories employed in the
construction of the photographic chart and catalogue of the
heavens
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