ASTRONOMY. 1 1 



This luminary, being fifty times smaller than the 

 earth, with only the seventieth part of its attractive 

 power, has five sevenths of the earth's density, and 

 is consequently about four times denser than water. 



There is no appearance of any water in the moon, 

 nor of any atmosphere; if any creatures, therefore, 

 live in the moon, they must be very differently con- 

 stituted from the occupiers of the earth. 



Satellites always present the same face to the 

 planet. 



Lunar Irregularities. 



The accumulation of matter in the equatorial re- 

 gions, modifies the action of the earth upon the 

 moon, insomuch, that the motion of the latter is 

 affected by two irregularities, one in the latitude and 

 the other in the longitude. There are also other 

 causes of the lunar irregularities. 



Date of the Hindoo Astronomical System. 



La Place has observed that the mean motions 

 which any system of Astronomy assigns to Jupiter 

 and Saturn, give us some information concerning the 

 time when that system was formed. Thus the Brah- 

 minical Hindoos seem to have formed their system 

 when the mean motion of Jupiter was the slowest, 

 and that of Saturn the most rapid ; and the two 

 periods that fulfil these conditions, come very near 

 to the year 3102 before the Christian era, and to the 

 year 1491 after it; both remarkable epochas in the 

 Astronomy of Hindostan. 



Hindoo Yugs. 



The Hindoo yugs and periods were astronomical 

 contrivances, resting at one end on observations taken 

 at the time they were invented, and at the other on 

 some period so very remote, that the greatest possi- 

 ble error in the position of the planets at the time 



