PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION. 



THE contents of this little volume have within the last 

 few years seen the light in various periodicals. Chapters 

 I VII and xv xvn appeared in Good Words; vm x 

 in the Girl's Own Paper; XI, XIV, XVIII, XIX in various 

 newspapers ; xn, xm in A 1 ; xxi in Macmillaris Maga- 

 zine; xxn in the Contemporary Review; xxm in Long- 

 man's Magazine; while xx was a presidential address 

 delivered at the Midland Institute, Birmingham. 



A few alterations have been found necessary in gather- 

 ing them into a consecutive whole, and each chapter has 

 been carefully revised. 



With respect to the illustrations, several of which did 

 not accompany the papers in their original form, I am 

 indebted to the kindness of Mr. A. Cowper Eanyard, the 

 editor of Knowledge, for permission to reproduce the 

 photograph of the Moon, taken with the Great Eefractor 

 of the Lick Observatory (Frontispiece), Mr. LasselTs 

 picture of the Great Nebula in Orion, and drawings of 

 the Eev. F. Hewlett's photographs of sun-spots of 

 1882-3. To the Council of the Eoyal Society I owe 

 thanks for a similar favour in regard to the Krakatoa 

 diagrams. 



The object of the book is to give the general reader 

 some sketches of specially interesting matters relating 

 to the different heavenly bodies. They may be regarded 

 as supplementary to a treatise on elementary astronomy 

 such as my little volume, " Starland." 



I am indebted to my friends, Eev. Maxwell Close, 

 Dr. A. Eambaut, and Mr. L. Steele, for their aid in 

 revising the work. 



EOBEET S. BALL. 



OBSERVATORY, Co. DUBLIN, 

 Afril, 189?. 



1115863 



