HEAVEN? 
patra Ariftotle forty-feven, and Fracaftor no lefs 
add, that the aftronomers did not much concern 
dhbisieloes whether the heavens, they thus allo w of, were 
real or not, provided they ferved a purpofe in accounting 
for any of the celeftial motions, and ‘ate with ‘the phe- 
ena. 
Among the other reveries of the rabbins, contained in the 
Talmud, we iind it afferted, ee there isa place where the 
heavens and the earth join together; that rabbi Bar- 
chana, going thither, ory his hat 
heaven; and that, going to take it again immediately after, 
it was gone, the heavens having carried it off; fo that he 
muit wait for areyolution of the orbs to bring it to its place 
i indefatigable labours of ae pe Hip in the fervice 
‘of aftronomy, are known to every lover ysl — 
None of his numerous difeov nee are hie ee of r at- 
tention than thofe which ‘relate to the contador of the 
avens. The fubjeét, both ‘theoretically and’ pradtically, 
has engaged his attention for many years; and a flight 
fketch of his theory, as far as relates to the conftru@ion of 
the milky-way, has already been given under Gazaxy. 
the confiruétion of the whole fidereal fyftem of the heavens. 
Firlt, taking a theoretical view of the fubje€t, he fuppofes 
nunberlefs itars of various fizes {cattered over an indefinite 
rtion © » in fuch a manner as to be almoit equally 
diftributed wees the whole. The laws of attraction, 
extending to the remoteft regions of the fixed ftars, will 
then, he conceres very pr robably Sodan the eee | 
remarkable 
eases of Nebule. 
Foon 1.—In the firft place, fince the ftars are-fuppofed 
to be of various fizes, it will frequently happen, that a flar, 
being ewaren J larger than its neighbouring ones, will 
atttra&t them more than they will be attraéted by others 
that are immediatly round them; by which means they 
will be in time, as it were, condenfed about a centre; or, in 
other words, form themfelves into a clutter of ftars of almoft 
a globular figure, more or lefs regularly fo secon to the 
fize, and original diftance of the furroending ftars. 
-—The next cafe, which will alfo happen alot ¢ 
Form 2 
as frequently as the former, is where a few ftars, tho ough 
not fuperior in fize to the ewe may happen to or rather 
nearer each other than the furrounding ones ; for here alfo 
will be for a prevailing attraction i in the combined centre 
“ie .—From the Suen elit and siplisot conjunétion 
of both the foregoing forms, a third may be derived, when 
y la tars, or combined ao ones, are fituated in 
long extended, regular; or ctooked rows, hooks, or branches; 
es nu will ca wr the «oun oe ones, “fo as to pro- 
-once 
former, 
ing in one part of the {pace, there = be another colle<ti 
ae a — but, perhaps, not far diftant quarter, which 
the window of 
a occafion a mutual approach towards ‘their common 
entre of gravity. 
m 5.—In the laft place, as a natural confequence of” 
the Yast cafes, there will be formed great cavities or va~ 
cancies, by the retreat of the ftars towards the various cen- 
tres which attra&t them; fo that upon the whole there is 
evidently a field of the greateft variety for the heavenly 
bodies to exert themfelves in 
From this etd te ae ‘of the heavens, which has beert 
Se ae from a point 
The itars of the firft magnitude being, i in all probatilitys 
the neareft, will furniffy us swith a ftep to begin our feale; 
fetting out, therefore, with the diftance of Sirius or Aréturus, 
for initance, as , let it be fuppofed, that thofe of the 
fecond ma sriieside cata double, and thofe of the third at 
treble the aitasce; a fo forth. It is not” neceflary criti? 
cally to examine what quantity of light, or magnitude of a 
ftar, entitles it to be eftimated at fuch or fuch a 
as 
who is enclofed im’a globular clutter of itars, and not far 
from the centre, will never be able with the naked oe 
fee the end of it; 
eit 1on. 
Without confidering other fituations, let him be etal ; 
in a much extended ftratum, or a ching clufter of illots 
of itars, fuch as may fall under the third form of nebulz, 
confidered in a foregoing p ara spraph. 
will not. onl richly Pp over with brilliant conftel- 
Py but a fhining zone, or milky way, will be Lae 
o. furround the whole zone of the heavens, cheb oe vis 
anibiied light of Seti flars which are too f{mall, that 
t 
patches ; his views are not extended 
—- to the end of ‘the. ftratum i in which he is fituated, * 
SN ng eet 
which to him “feems to comprehend cery ctl ee 
now ‘increafes hi sahae vil and applying : 
to aclofe obfervatio ation, finds that the 
other than a colle@tion of very {mall ftars. fe p s 
thofe objects, which had been called nebulz, are © ae a 
nothing but clufters of ‘ftars. He finds ther. nun ee 
3 th ee ‘ 
