Side-Lights on Astronomy and Kindred Fields of Popular Science - Newcomb, Simon, 1835-1909 (Project Gutenberg, 2003)
The unsolved problems of astronomy -- The new problems of the universe -- The structure of the universe -- The extent of the universe -- Making and using a telescope -- What the astronomers are doing -- Life in the universe -- How the planets are weighed -- The mariner's compass -- The fairyland of geometry -- The organization of scientific research -- Can we make it rain? -- The astronomical ephemeris and nautical almanac -- The world's debt to astronomy -- An astronomical friendship -- The evolution of the scientific investigator -- The evolution of astronomical knowledge -- Aspects of American astronomy -- The universe as an organism -- The relation of scientific method to social progress -- The outlook for the flying-machine.
Electronic text
Keywords: Flying-machines; Astronomy; Rain-making; Compass; Learning and scholarship; Hyperspace