Lectures on astronomical theories . sexplained and demonstrated in Part First of this Series ;*but even in such case the recession could only take placein an orbit with a continually increasing radial distancefrom the sun, as shown in Fig. 3, and the path of thereceding body would have the form of a spiral curvecontinually increasing outwards from the sun as itscentre. (1) The Compound Siderial Orhit.—As already stated,it is not permissible to entertain the supposition that a The series on physical science entitled Centrifugal Force & Gravitation. 12 THE THEORY OP COMETARY ORBITS. planet or ot
Lectures on astronomical theories . sexplained and demonstrated in Part First of this Series ;*but even in such case the recession could only take placein an orbit with a continually increasing radial distancefrom the sun, as shown in Fig. 3, and the path of thereceding body would have the form of a spiral curvecontinually increasing outwards from the sun as itscentre. (1) The Compound Siderial Orhit.—As already stated,it is not permissible to entertain the supposition that a The series on physical science entitled Centrifugal Force & Gravitation. 12 THE THEORY OP COMETARY ORBITS. planet or other mass of aggregated matters, revolvingaromid the sun (or other centre) under the influence ofgravitation, can suddenly divest itself of that influence,consequently the hypothesis w^hich supposes the orbitalpath of a comet to describe a parabola or a hyperbolamust certainly be erroneous. It is, nevertheless, quitepossible for a planetary or cometary mass of matter toenter the solar system, and, being within the suns Fig. gravitating influence, to approach the sun, and even tomake a partial revolution about the sun, and then todepart or return to another system. To explain this more particularly v^^e refer to Fig. 1,(PI. 1.) where A. represents the sur^, and B. representsthe central star of a neighbouring system; C. a cometor cometary mass of matter; m, y. q. v. the cometssupposed orbit. From the place m., the comet moves in thedirection of the arrows through the circular arcm. c. w.,having B., the star, for the centre of gravitation ; havingarrived at the point n., the direction of motion is the tan-gent to the arc : viz., n. o. Now if C, the comet were ^ ^ ^
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Keywords: ., bookcentury18, bookdecade1870, booksubjectastronomy, bookyear1876
