Volume 1

Ferguson's astronomy, explained upon Sir Isaac Newton's principles. With notes and supplementary chapters / by David Brewster.

  • Ferguson, James, 1710-1776.
Date:
1811
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Ferguson's astronomy, explained upon Sir Isaac Newton's principles. With notes and supplementary chapters / by David Brewster. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    vested of all its circumvolying planets ; and would reckon it one of the stars in numbering them. are not en- lightened from the sun, cannot possibly receive from him by the sun. gq strong a light as they seem to have; nor any brightness sufficient to make them visible to us. For the sun’s rays must be so scattered and dis- sipated before they reach such remote: objects, that they can never be transmitted back to our eyes, so as to render these objects visible by re- flection. ‘The stars therefore shine with their own native and unborrowed lustre, as the sun does; and since each particular star, as well as the sun, is confined to a particular portion of space, it is plain that the stars are of the same na- ioe with the sun. . Itis nowise probable that the Almighty, site always acts with infinite wisdom, and does nothing in vain, should create so many glorious suns, fit for so many’ important purposes, and place them at such distances from one another, without proper objects near enough to be bene- The are fited by their influences. Whoever imagines they probably g were created only to give a faint glimmering light by planets. to the inhabitants of this globe, must have a very superficial knowledge of astronomy, and a mean opinion of the Divine wisdom: since, by an in- would have given our earth much more light Hi one single additional moon. 9. Instead then of one sun and one world only in the universe, as the unskilful in astronomy imagine, that science discovers to us such an in- conceivable number of suns, systems and worlds, dispersed through boundless space, that if our #