Ether (Space); Force and energy; Gravitation; Matter
These results were sent to the Berlin astronomers, and the heavens were
searched for the supposed new planet. After a time, the planet was
discovered in that part of the heavens indicated by Le Verrier, and for
a time his name stood out as the sole discoverer. Gradually, however,
the claims of Adams were admitted and recognized, and to-day his claims
to participate in the honour of the wonderful achievement are generally
admitted. Thus the discovery of Neptune gave to the Law of Gravitation a
stability and proof that perhaps it had never received before.
Further evidence of the existence of the universality of the attractive
force, is to be found in a certain system of stars known as binary
stars, which revolve around each other, while they gravitate around a
common centre. Recent researches in astronomy only seek more and more to
confirm the universality and effectiveness of this grand law, that seems
to hold the entire universe in its sway.
Any medium, therefore, which is postulated as the physical cause of
Gravitation, must itself be as universal as Gravitation, in order for it
to be able to fulfil this condition of universality. We shall find, as
we proceed, that the only possible medium which can fulfil this
condition, is the universal Aether, whose qualities and properties are
already partly known and partly understood.
ART. 20. _Direction of the Forces._--The attraction of Gravitation is
always directed along the straight line which joins the centres of
masses of the attracting and attracted bodies. Thus, if the earth and
moon are taken as examples, an imaginary straight line drawn from the
centre of the earth's mass to the centre of the mass of the moon would
be the direction in which the gravitative force would be exerted. Now a
line which joins the central body to its satellite we shall see when we
come to deal with Kepler's Laws is known as the Radius Vector. Thus the
path of the attraction between the two bodies is along the Radius
Vector. It is a singular coincidence that the path of a ray of light
from the sun also coincides with the Radius Vector, as it is one of the
laws of light that the path of a ray always follows a straight line.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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