Book contents
- Frontmatter
- EDITOR'S PREFACE
- PREFACE
- Contents
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- CHAPTER I BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS RELATIVE TO COMETS
- CHAPTER II COMETARY ASTRONOMY UP TO THE TIME OF NEWTON
- SECTION I COMETS AND THE ASTRONOMERS OF EGYPT AND CHALDEA
- SECTION II COMETARY ASTRONOMY IN THE TIME OF SENECA
- SECTION III COMETS DURING THE RENAISSANCE AND UP TO THE TIME OF NEWTON AND HALLEY
- SECTION IV NEWTON DISCOVERS THE TRUE NATURE OF COMETARY ORBITS
- CHAPTER III THE MOTIONS AND ORBITS OF COMETS
- CHAPTER IV PERIODICAL COMETS
- CHAPTER V PERIODICAL COMETS
- CHAPTER VI THE WORLD OF COMETS AND COMETARY SYSTEMS
- CHAPTER VII PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF COMETS
- CHAPTER VIII PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF COMETS
- CHAPTER IX MASS AND DENSITY OF COMETS
- CHAPTER X THE LIGHT OF COMETS
- CHAPTER XI THEORY OF COMETARY PHENOMENA
- CHAPTER XII COMETS AND SHOOTING STARS
- CHAPTER XIII COMETS AND THE EARTH
- CHAPTER XIV PHYSICAL INFLUENCES OF COMETS
- CHAPTER XV SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT COMETS
- I ELLIPTIC ELEMENTS OF THE RECOGNISED PERIODICAL COMETS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
- II GENERAL CATALOGUE OF THE ORBITS OF COMETS
- Plate section
SECTION II - COMETARY ASTRONOMY IN THE TIME OF SENECA
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2012
- Frontmatter
- EDITOR'S PREFACE
- PREFACE
- Contents
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- CHAPTER I BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS RELATIVE TO COMETS
- CHAPTER II COMETARY ASTRONOMY UP TO THE TIME OF NEWTON
- SECTION I COMETS AND THE ASTRONOMERS OF EGYPT AND CHALDEA
- SECTION II COMETARY ASTRONOMY IN THE TIME OF SENECA
- SECTION III COMETS DURING THE RENAISSANCE AND UP TO THE TIME OF NEWTON AND HALLEY
- SECTION IV NEWTON DISCOVERS THE TRUE NATURE OF COMETARY ORBITS
- CHAPTER III THE MOTIONS AND ORBITS OF COMETS
- CHAPTER IV PERIODICAL COMETS
- CHAPTER V PERIODICAL COMETS
- CHAPTER VI THE WORLD OF COMETS AND COMETARY SYSTEMS
- CHAPTER VII PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF COMETS
- CHAPTER VIII PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF COMETS
- CHAPTER IX MASS AND DENSITY OF COMETS
- CHAPTER X THE LIGHT OF COMETS
- CHAPTER XI THEORY OF COMETARY PHENOMENA
- CHAPTER XII COMETS AND SHOOTING STARS
- CHAPTER XIII COMETS AND THE EARTH
- CHAPTER XIV PHYSICAL INFLUENCES OF COMETS
- CHAPTER XV SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT COMETS
- I ELLIPTIC ELEMENTS OF THE RECOGNISED PERIODICAL COMETS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
- II GENERAL CATALOGUE OF THE ORBITS OF COMETS
- Plate section
Summary
Book vii. of Seneca's Qucsstiones Naturales relates to comets–Seneca defends in it the system of Apollonius of Myndus ; lie puts forth just views concerning- the nature of comets and their movements–His predictions respecting future discoveries in regard to comets–The astronomers of the future.
From the beginning of his book Seneca fully appreciates the importance of the question, and the connexion that must necessarily exist between the nature of the comets and the system of the universe itself. He is led to ask ‘ if comets are of the same nature as bodies placed higher than themselves. They have points of resemblance with them, ascension and declination, and also outward form, if we except the diffusion and the luminous prolongation; they have likewise the same fire, the same light.’ Here, then, we have comets assimilated to the planetary bodies as regards their movements, the only points of difference being the nebulosities and tails of the former. Seneca is sensible how important it would be ‘ to discover, if possible, whether the world revolves about the motionless earth, or if the world is fixed and the earth revolves ; whether it is not the heavens but our globe which rises and sets.’
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- Chapter
- Information
- The World of Comets , pp. 42 - 46Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1877