He investigated the methods of casting a
nativity, but a suspicion, or, indeed, rather more than a suspicion,
seems to have crossed his mind as to the value of these astrological
predictions, for he says in fine, "I found astrology to give
generally strong conjectural hints, not perfect declarations."
All this time, however, the future Astronomer Royal was steadily
advancing in astronomical inquiries of a recondite nature. He had
investigated the obliquity of the ecliptic with extreme care, so far
as the circumstances of astronomical observation would at that time
permit. He had also sought to discover the sun's distance from the
earth in so far as it could be obtained by determining when the moon
was exactly half illuminated, and he had measured, with much
accuracy, the length of the tropical year. It will thus be seen
that, even at the age of twenty, Flamsteed had made marked progress,
considering how much his time had been interfered with by ill-health.
Other branches of astronomy began also to claim his attention. We
learn that in 1669 and 1670 he compared the planets Jupiter and Mars
with certain fixed stars near which they passed. His instrumental
means, though very imperfect, were still sufficient to enable him to
measure the intervals on the celestial sphere between the planets and
the stars.
Pages:
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173