Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1739 edition. Excerpt: ...at his greatest Di-XVI. stance from Jupiter, an Astronomer here would Vyv/ observe an Eclipse of a Satellit at the fame Moment of Time he would do, were the Earth at X 3S.i Siuistiat her nearest Distance to Jupiter: For, accord-"d'rtd ing to' this Hypothesis, Light is propagated in the fame Distance through all Spaces indefinitely, whe-eclipsm of ther near, or never so much remote. But if Light J)Jpittr 1 takes up any Time for its Propagation thro' Space, ns, it will sooner pass through a shorter Space than a greater. And therefore an Observator at X, being nearer to Jupiter than one at T, by the Distance XT, which is almost equal to the Diameter of the Earth's Orbit, will sooner observe the Eclipse of a Satellit, than a Spectator can do at T. And therefore from the Difserence of those Times, which is proportional to X T the Difference of Distances, we can collect the Velocity of Light; and so this Matter is in Reality. For whenever the Earth is at its nearest Distance from Jupiter, the Eclipses are found to happen sooner than they do when they are observed from T at a greater Distance, where they fall out sensibly later than they ought to be, according to our Astronomical Computations. These quicker and slower Returns of Eclipses having been observed for many Years by Mr. Homer with much Care and Diligence, upon them be founded this Argument for demonstrating the successive Propagation of Light; and by them be proved, That Light, like all other Bodies in Motion, had a determined Degree of Velocity, and took a determined Time to move through a given Space. To which Opinion the most Part of the astronomers and Philosophers do now give their Assent. The Particles therefore of Light, though their Minuteness be indefinite, and not...
