JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. iss 
Whilst the Chaldeans were doubtless the first to place on 
record the rising and setting of the celestial bodies, and dividing the 
ecliptic into 12 equal parts, and the day and night into 12 hours 
each, yet the Chinese have recorded astronomical phenomena as far 
back as 2857, B. C. And the Egyptians, although well versed in 
science, yet we have no important records from them more than the 
signs of the Zodiac, which were of their invention. Yet it is to 
Thales, who lived about 610, we must credit the beginning of the 
history of Astronomy. He predicted the eclipse of the sun, which 
came to pass, and made observations of startling nature to our know- 
ledge of the science of Astronomy. Some years after this Aristarchus 
and Eratosthenes made some important observations which were 
left on record. But Hepparchus (169-125) B. C., discovered the 
procession of the equinoxes, calculated eclipses and determined the 
length of the year. 
But coming down to A. D. 130 to 150, Ptolemy, of Alexandria, 
founded the theory which bears the name, which recognized the 
earth as the centre of all—the sun, moon, stars and planets and 
stars all coursing around it. Whilst this theory has long since 
been proven incorrect and abandoned, yet he paved the way for his 
successors and left many valuable records. Although the study of 
Astronomy was not altogether neglected, yet there is but little of 
value till A. D. 1543, the year in which the great philosopher died. 
Capernicus promulgated the true theory of the solar system. He 
placed the sun in the centre and all the planets revolving about him. 
His great work, De Revolutiontbus Orbium Celestium, in which he 
explained his theory, was not finished till within a few days of 
his death. 
The next of note after Capernicus I wish to notice is Tycho 
Brahe, a Danish scientist, who lived during the latter part of the 
16th century. He adopted the theory that the sun and moon 
revolved around the sun. Whilst this theory was incorrect, yet it is 
not without interest, and many valuable observations are left on 
record. J may remark here, that to perpetuate his memory, the 
great lunar crater which forms so conspicuous an object on the 
lunar surface at the time of fuli moon is called Tycho. 
After Tycho came Kepler, whose observations were many and 
valuable. His observations on the planet Mars has cleared away 
