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Editorial Discussions, Chats, and Correspondence. Eclipses of Jovian Moons and Discovery of Neptune.
(1) It is alleged by Copernican astronomers that when Jupiter is farthest from the earth, his satellites, when passing be-hind him, are occulted several minutes later than when he is nearest the earth; thus proving his great distance according to the known velocity of light.
How do you account for this ? (2) It is claimed that the planet Neptune was discovered by calculations based upon the aberrations of visible planets, before he had ever been seen; and that this is ad-duced as a proof that the weights and distances of the planets are accurately calculated by the Copernican astronomers.
How do you account for this ?—M. S., Editor Equity, Cal. (i) The phenomenon referred to above occurs about every 13 months, when Jupiter is in opposition to the sun, or near the time when Jupiter reaches his culmination at midnight.
At such times, the eclipses of Jupiter's moons occur about 16 minutes behind the time indicated by the astronomical tables.
The phenomenon indicates that there is a difference in the velocity of the transmitted energies, and not the vast difference in the distance of Jupiter from the earth, as in the old system.
In the consideration of the subject, we have the question of the transmission of three distinct energies to deal with: The transmission of the levic energies from the Jovian mercurial disc in the earth's shell; the transmission of visual energy from the eye to the visible planet, and the trans-mission of light from the visible planet to the eye. Astronomers and physicists are amusingly mistaken concerning the trans-mission of light; it is not propagated at the rate of 192,000 miles per second ! The tests applied by physicists are of the vital visual substance in the rapidity of its vibrations.
As the visual planet is derived from the mercurial disc in the earth's shell, so the rapidity of the transmission of the ener-gies from the visible planet depends upon the impulses received from the disc; and the impulses from the disc vary with the different positions of the disc as related to the visible sun; hence, the difference in the time of implantation of the mate-rializing pictures of the moving secondary disci in the shell, to the extent of 16 min-utes behind the time calculated for the occultations, when Jupiter in the visible heavens is in closer proximit}7 to the visible sun.
(2) The argument that the Copernican system must be true because a new planet was discovered in 1846, is on a par with
THE EDITOR. the argument that the old system must be true because eclipses are foretold.
If the Ptolemaic system, or any other system, had been in vogue in 1846, Neptune would have been discovered by calculations founded upon well-known planetary perturbations.
Every system of astronomy expresses in terms of its own, all of the visible relations, movements, perturbations, times, and seasons, upon which calculations are founded, with equal accuracy.
The hypothesis of Copernicus served the purpose only as a skeleton containing tabulated figures; any other hypothesis would have answered if it em-bodied corresponding deductions; when transposed into the language of any other system, the values would remain the same, just as the result of a mathematical calculation would be exactly the same whether common fractions or decimals are employed ; the operation would be different, the values the same.
The supposition that perpendiculars constantly di-verge into infinite space, adds no degrees to the circumference of the circle ; it sim-ply enlarges it in miles.
When Neptune was discovered it was at 3250 52' right ascension ; Uranus was at I5° l7/ 3 / / right ascension, making a difference of 490 25' 3 " in the astronomical longitude of the planets.
Uranus was observed to be retarded in its orbit, and the existence of another planet beyond the orbit of Uranus was a necessary conclusion, founded upon tables of perturbations of Jupiter and Saturn; and its location, though yet undiscovered by means of the telescope, was but a matter of application of previous observations contained in the tables.
Its probable distance, according to the scheme of Copernicus, was al-ready indicated by the law of Titius, which, while designating the planetary progression, perverts the principle in the substitution of distance in miles for difference in qualities of planetary energies.
The same conclusion would have been reached if the calculations had been made on the basis of the Ptolemaic epicycles, from the geocentric premise; or on the basis of the Tychonic system, or in accordance with the Koreshan Astronomy.
But with all the conveniences and valuable tables which would have enabled a Ptolemaic astronomer to reach a result consistent with his system, Le Verrier made a number of astronomical blunders while appropriating the honor of the discovery from Astronomer Adams, Prof.
Challis, Dr. Galle, and others. Le Verrier's planet was not Neptune ; it has not yet materialized, and never will! He missed the mark of consistency with the Copernican system, overreaching the periodic time of Neptune 52 years ; made it three times too large, and missed the distance, even from the Copernican basis, over 600,000,000 miles !
The Flaming Sword · Vol. 13, No. 4 · Dec 9, 1898 · PDF p. 11