SUN'S MO T Hi ROUGH SPACE 137 



between the two men, and Glasgow seems to have 

 become a favourite place of summer pilgrimage to 

 HerscheL It waa clear that he was favoured b 



of scieiu lie took it ut th- 



flood: he even guided it into the channels along 

 haa since flowed in an ever increasing 

 is an arduous task," he said of this quest 

 alter our solar system's movement in space, " which we 

 must not hope to see accomplished in a little time 

 we are not to be discouraged fn>m the attempt 

 us, at all events, endeavour to lay a good foundation 



those who are to come after us." And 

 good foundation, l.y precept and example, he did lay. 



h the boldness of a man who had confidence 

 in himself and his instruments, he wrote: "1 think 

 we are no more authorised to suppose the sun at 

 rest than we should be to deny the diurnal motion 

 of the earth, except in this respect, that the proofs 

 of the latter are very numerous, whereas the former 

 rests only on a few, though capital testimonies." 11* 

 founded this conclusion on a discussion of the m 

 observed in seven of the principal fixed stars. But 

 in support 01 w he also quoted a table of tin* 



proper motions of twelve stars in fifty years given 

 by Lalande, motion in the two directions known to 

 as right ascension and declination, cor- 

 ling to longitude and latitude on the earth, 

 ity -seven motions altogether had to be accounted 

 On the hypothesis of a general movement of 

 solar system through space, twenty-two out of 

 these twenty-seven movements were explained. The 

 five exceptions he "resolved into the real proper 

 11 of the stars." He did not then know win 



