UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Through the Depths of Space: A Primer of Astronomy. CHAPTER I. OUR OWN PLANET-ITS PLACE IN NATURE. The Study of Astronomy. From the earliest ages the mind of man has been fascinated by the study of the heavenly bodies - Sun, Moon, and Stars. The observation of the heavens has always had a peculiar attraction for the more thoughtful members of the human family. Consequently, the name of the "founder of astronomy," if there ever existed such a personage, is lost in the mists of antiquity. We do not know who discovered the brighter planets, or who first observed the apparent motion of the Sun, or who grouped the stars into constellations. But we know this that these constellations were recognised at the time of the ancient Greeks and Hebrews. Homer A |