The Astronomy of Milton's 'Paradise Lost'Many able and cultured writers have delighted to expatiate on the beauties of Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' and to linger with admiration over the lofty utterances expressed in his poem. Though conscious of his inability to do justice to the sublimest of poets and the noblest of sciences, the author has ventured to contribute to Miltonic literature a work which he hopes will prove to be of an interesting and instructive character. Perhaps the choicest passages in the poem are associated with astronomical allusion, and it is chiefly to the exposition and illustration of these that this volume is devoted. |
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61 Cygni accuracy afterwards allusion apastron appearance arrived ascertained astronomical attraction axis beautiful believed binary binary star bright brilliancy called celestial centre clouds clusters colour comet components constellation Copernican theory Copernicus dark described diameter dimensions disc discovered discovery distance double stars ecliptic existence firmament fixed stars Galaxy Galileo globe gravitation heavenly bodies heavens Herschel Horrox imagination instrument irregular Jupiter Kepler known light luminous lunar magnificent magnitude mass miles Milky Milton minute Moon motion naked eye nebula nebular hypothesis night object observatory observed occupied Ophiuchus orbit Paradise Lost parallax path perceived periastron period phenomena photosphere planetary planets Pleiades poem portion position Ptolemaic Ptolemaic system regarded regions remarkable resembling revolution revolve round ring rotation round the Earth round the Sun Rudolphine Tables satellites Saturn sidereal Sirius solar system space sphere spots starry stellar sun-spots Sun’s surface surrounded telescope thou Tycho Brahé universe velocity Venus visible whilst