
A clear, illustrated tour of the night sky, this work invites listeners to explore the Sun’s searing heat, the Moon’s cratered landscapes, and the wandering paths of the planets. From Saturn’s iconic rings to Jupiter’s myriad moons, the author explains each world’s size, distance, and peculiarities, while also delving into the discovery of Uranus and the clever calculations that revealed Neptune’s hidden presence. The narrative then turns outward, describing comets’ luminous tails, meteor streaks, and the dazzling constellations that have guided humanity for millennia.
The book is enriched with twenty‑four colour plates and numerous sketches drawn from the leading observatories of the day, making complex ideas vivid and memorable. Its conversational tone balances scientific detail with wonder, perfect for anyone eager to understand the mechanics behind the heavens without needing a specialist background. Listeners will come away with a deeper appreciation of the celestial patterns that surround us and the remarkable minds who first charted them.
Language
en
Duration
~19 hours (1126K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by K. Nordquist, Brenda Lewis, Stephen Hope, Greg Bergquist and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2008-12-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1840–1913
An Irish astronomer and popular science writer, he helped bring big ideas about the universe to a wide public while also building a distinguished academic career. He is especially remembered for his work at Dunsink Observatory and for books that made astronomy lively and approachable.
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