Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from United States Japan Expedition, Vol. 3: Observations on the Zodiacal Light, From April 2, 1853, to April 22, 1855, Made Chiefly on Board the United States Steam-Frigate Mississippi, During Her Late Cruise in Eastern Seas, and Her Voyage Homeward
I have dwelt so long upon Cassini's observations and theories, inasmuch as these ehser vations, though made one hundred and seventy years ago, exceed in amount all others subsequently printed; and his annotations have a distinctness which I have not been able to find in any other work besides that his theory has had such an important in?uence over the minds of astronomers in all subsequent times. He continued his observations, pretty regularly, for six years; and afterwards in a more desultory manner, till 1693; and thus we have eleven years of very important records from his pen. I have, from his detailed descriptions, been able to draw outlines on my star-charts for eleven nights, when his lati tudes and my own were sufficiently near for comparison of results; and I find that, in many instances the boundaries of the Zodiacal Light, at his time (one hundred and seventy years ago), were almost, or perhaps quite, the same as at present. It is somewhat difficult to get his boundaries precisely, inasmuch as he describes them by the figures of the pictured constellations; which pictures, we know, are often varied to suit the fancy of the artist dealing with the stars, and are therefore no certain guide. Some of these outlines from his records, drawn out on charts, are appended to this work (nos. 342 - 351) for comparison with those of our own times.
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