The Recent Progress of Astronomy: Especially in the United States

by Elias Loomis

Excerpt from The Recent Progrss of Especially in the United StatesThis little volume is designed to exhibit in a popular form the most important astronomical discoveries of the past ten years. It does not profess even to enumerate all the discoveries of this period. Such an enumeration would have swelled the volume much beyond its present size. Those topics have been selected in which it was supposed the public generally would feel the deepest interest. The book was designed, not for astronomers, but for the public; and I have accordingly aimed to exhibit results in common language, as free as possible from technical terms. It is hoped that the book may be read with profit by those who have never made Astronomy a subject of special study; and that it may be found an appropriate supplement to the popular treatises on this science, most of which are very deficient in their notice of recent discoveries. It is hoped that the fourth chapter, which exhibits the progress of Astronomy in the United States, may be found to have a special interest for American readers.

257 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1850

About the author

Elias Loomis was an American mathematician with a large interest in the sciences. He wrote about mathematics, astronomy, meteorology and natural philosophy.