126 THE ANATOMY OF SCIENCE 



shone as a faint red disk; but through the 

 front window he sees a dazzling array of stars 

 of a brilliant blue color. Through the side win- 

 dows the constellations come a little nearer to 

 their customary appearance, and he sets him- 

 self to work upon daily astronomical measure- 

 ments which prove so fascinating that five years 

 pass in this pursuit. Suddenly he is alarmed, 

 for his calculations show that in these five years 

 he has proceeded to a point which seems to be 

 fifty light-years away from the earth. His 

 several chronometers of different types are all 

 in agreement; he has eaten his three meals a 

 day and slept eight hours out of every twenty- 

 four. He is sure there can be no mistake, yet 

 nevertheless decides to return to the earth, and, 

 using the greater part of his remaining fuel, 

 he reverses his motion and proceeds homeward 

 with the same speed as before. 



At the end of another five years he therefore 

 approaches the earth, and using his remaining 

 fuel to retard his motion, he reaches the earth's 

 atmosphere and parachutes down to a place 

 near his former home. Just ten years ago, ac- 

 cording to his chronometers, the newspapers 

 were full of his daring exploit and of various 

 predictions as to the likelihood of his return. 



