Part 43 (1/2)
”The Supposed Influence of Satellites in Preserving Planetary Rings.”
”Movements of Comets.”
”The Tails of Comets.”
”Ma.s.s and Density of Comets.”
”Cometary Catastrophes.”
”Phenomena Attending the Fall of Meteors.”
”The Origin of Solar and Meteoric Light.”
”Variable Stars and the Sun's Spots.”
”Temporary Stars.”
”Electrical Light and the Aurora Borealis.”
”Proof of the Stability of the Solar System,” with an appendix.
Some of these subjects had been treated of at greater length and published by American and British a.s.sociations for the advancement of science.
He sent to the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science:
”Cases of Planetary Instability Indicated by the Appearance of Temporary Stars.”
”Appearance of Temporary Stars.”
Other papers appeared:
”Note on the Sunspots,” Philosophical Magazine for December, 1858.
”On the Solar Spots and Variable Stars,” idem, Vol. 15, p. 359.
”Changes in the Conditions of Celestial Bodies,” an essay.
”The Origin of Worlds,” Popular Science Monthly, May, 1879.
”Planetary Rings and New Stars,” Popular Science Monthly, February, 1879.
”Astronomical History of Worlds,” idem, September, 1878.
”On the Stability of Satellites in Small Orbits and the Theory of Saturn's Rings,” Philosophical Magazine, May, 1861.
”On the Origin of the Asteroids.” Contributed to the American a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science.
”Static and Dynamic Stability in the Secondary Systems,”
Philosophical Magazine, December, 1861.
”On Phenomena which May be Traced to the Presence of a Medium Pervading all s.p.a.ce,” idem, May 11, 1861.
The Professor contributed to other publications on both sides of the Atlantic, but as he failed to retain copies of the articles or of the magazines in which they were published, doubtless many papers of interest are among the number.
The year 1860 found the Professor possessed of a valuable collection of books, the acc.u.mulation of ten or fifteen years, all showing the marks of wear, some of them besmeared with the drippings from his candle.
Among them were works of some of the most prominent authors in branches of theoretical and practical science. Those of Laplace, Kepler, Tycho-Brahe, Leibnitz, Herschel, Newton and others, together with many pamphlets and periodicals, composed his library. He possessed a familiar knowledge of the German, French, Italian and Spanish languages, and of ancient Greek and Latin. Many of his papers appeared in the continental languages. It may be here stated that for the eminent astronomer, Laplace, as a scientist and writer, Prof. Vaughn entertained great respect, though he could not accept his nebular hypothesis, because important parts of it would not bear mathematical investigation. [The proof is in the papers in my possession.--N.] In an article of the Professor to the Popular Science Monthly (February, 1879) is a case of the kind, showing that the distinguished astronomer ignored his own famous theory. The article reads: ”In endeavoring to account for the direct motion in secondary systems Laplace contends that, in consequence of friction the supposed primitive solar rings would have a greater velocity in their outer than in their inner zones. Now, if friction is to counteract to such an extent the normal effects of gravitation, it must be an eternal bar against the origin of worlds by nebulous dismemberment, and if the ring of attenuated matter were placed under the circ.u.mstances suggested by the eminent astronomer, it would be ultimately doomed, not to form a planet, but to coalesce with the immense spheroid of fiery vapor it was supposed to have environed.”
It is interesting to know that the theory of our Professor was the correct one, as proved by a recent discovery of Prof. James E. Keeler, astronomer of the Allegheny Observatory. As announced in a daily paper: ”Prof. James E. Keeler, of the Allegheny Observatory, has made a wonderful discovery. It is a scientific and positive demonstration of the fact that the rings of Saturn are made up of many small bodies and that the satellites of the inner edge of the rings move faster than the outer.”