TLDR
Evolution of other Bodies in the Universe—The Nebulæ—Estimate of the Size of the Great Nebula in Orion—Photograph of that Nebula taken at Lick Observatory—The Dumb-bell Nebula—The Crossley Reflector—The late Professor Keeler—Astonishing Discovery of New Nebulæ—120,000 Nebulæ—The Continuous Chain from a Fluid Haze of Light to a Star—The Celestial Evolution.
We commence this chapter with a scrutiny of the heavens, to see whether, among the bodies which it contains, we can discover any which appear at this moment to be in the condition through which our system has passed in some of its earlier stages.
So far as our unaided vision is concerned, we can see little or nothing in the skies which will render us assistance in our present endeavour. The objects that we do see in thousands are, of course, the stars, and, as we have already pointed out, the stars are sun-like objects, and as such have advanced many stages beyond the elementary condition. The stars are therefore not immediately available for the illustration we require. But when we come to look at the heavens through our telescopes we presently find that there are objects which were not visible to the eye, and which are neither stars nor planets. Closer examination of these objects with the powerful instruments of modern observatories, and especially with the help of those marvellous appliances which have enabled us to learn the actual chemistry of the heavenly bodies, supplies the suggestions that are required.via the TL;DR App
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Written by robertsball | I was an Irish astronomer who founded the screw theory.