Wilkins, John, A discovery of a new world : or a discourse tending to prove, that 'tis probable there may be another Habitable World in the Moon ; with a discourse concerning the Probability of a Passage thither; unto which is added, a discourse concerning a New Planet, tending to prove, that 'tis probable our earth is one of the Planets

Table of figures

< >
< >
page |< < (110) of 370 > >|
122110That the Moon may be a World. as ſhe is beheld through the advantage of a
dark medium, but as ſhe ſeems in the day time:
Now, in any clear Sun-ſhine day, our Earth
does appear as bright as the Moon, which at
the ſame time does ſeem like ſome duskiſh
Cloud (as any little Obſervation may eaſily
manifeſt.)
Therefore we need not doubt but
that the Earth is as well able to give Light, as
the Moon.
To this, it may be added, that
thoſe very Clouds, which in the day time
ſeem to be of an equal Light to the Moon, do
in the Evening become as dark as our Earth;

and as for thoſe of them, which are looked
upon at any great diſtance, they are often mi-
ſtaken for the Mountains.
4. ’Tis conſiderable, that though the Moon
ſeem to be of ſo great a Brightneſs in the Night,
by reaſon of its nearneſs unto thoſe ſeveral ſha-
dows which it caſts, yet is of it ſelf Weaker
than that part of Twilight, which uſually we
have for half an Hour after Sun-ſet, becauſe we
cannot, till after that time, Diſcern any ſhadow
to be made by it.
5. Conſider the great Diſtance at which
we behold the Planets, for this muſt needs add
much to their Shining ;
and therefore Guſanus
(in the above cited Place) thinks, that if a Man
were in the Sun, that Planet would not appear
ſo Bright to him, as now it doth to us, becauſe
then his Eye could diſcern but little, whereas
here, we may Comprehend the Beams as they
are contracted in a narrow Body.
Keplar be-
holding the Earth from a high Mountain, when
it was Enlightened by the Sun, Confeſſes that
it appeared unto him of an incredible

Text layer

  • Dictionary

Text normalization

  • Original

Search


  • Exact
  • All forms
  • Fulltext index
  • Morphological index