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
- 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
- SECTION I ARE COMETS HABITABLE?
- SECTION II WHAT WOULD BECOME OF THE EARTH IF A COMET WERE TO MAKE IT ITS SATELLITE?
- SECTION III IS THE MOON AN ANCIENT COMET?
- I ELLIPTIC ELEMENTS OF THE RECOGNISED PERIODICAL COMETS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
- II GENERAL CATALOGUE OF THE ORBITS OF COMETS
- Plate section
SECTION III - IS THE MOON AN ANCIENT COMET?
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
- 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
- SECTION I ARE COMETS HABITABLE?
- SECTION II WHAT WOULD BECOME OF THE EARTH IF A COMET WERE TO MAKE IT ITS SATELLITE?
- SECTION III IS THE MOON AN ANCIENT COMET?
- I ELLIPTIC ELEMENTS OF THE RECOGNISED PERIODICAL COMETS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
- II GENERAL CATALOGUE OF THE ORBITS OF COMETS
- Plate section
Summary
Hypothesis of Maupertuis : the planetary satellites originally comets, which have been retained by the attractions of the planets–The Arcadians and the moon–Refutation of this hypothesis by Dionys du Séjour.
In the same spirit of speculative enquiry, it has likewise been asked if the moon is not an ancient comet which the earth has diverted from its orbit about the sun, and forced to gravitate about itself. ‘ Not only, ’ says Maupertuis, ‘might a comet carry away our moon, but it might itself become our satellite, and be condemned to perform its revolutions about our earth and illuminate our nights. Our moon might have been originally a small comet which, in consequence of having too nearly approached the earth, has been made captive by it. Jupiter and Saturn, bodies much larger than the earth, and whose power extends to a greater distance, and over larger comets, would be more liable than the earth to make such acquisitions ; consequently Jupiter has four moons revolving about him, and Saturn five. ’
Upon what foundation, upon what serious reasoning has Maupertuis erected this ingenious hypothesis? He does not tell us. Pingré, who records it, observes that the partisans of this opinion based it upon an ancient tradition mentioned by Ovid and Lucian.
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- The World of Comets , pp. 528 - 530Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1877