Abstract
ASTRONOMY is pre-eminently a practical science, yet instruction in it, and especially in the branch which pertains to geography, usually consists of a course of study of text-books. This is not as it should be. It is far better to observe the apparent movements of the stars and planets than to learn that they are hundreds of thousands of miles away from us; and to note the annual movement of the sun among the stars is more instructive than to learn the dimensions of some sun-spots and prominences. In astronomy, as in other sciences, the only firm conceptions are those obtained from direct observation. Prof. Todd's book marks a new departure by showing how the fundamental principles of the subject may be studied with the aid of tangible objects, somewhat as in physics and chemistry. The resuit is most successful. No book with which we are familiar contains a clearer account of astronomical geography, and certainly none show so well how to observe celestial movements or illustrate astronomical phenomena with simple appliances. The pupil who learns astronomy through Prof. Todd's book will have a real idea of the motions and measurements of the heavenly bodies instead of abstract conceptions concerning them.
A New Astronomy.
By Prof. David P. Todd Pp. 480. (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: American Book Company.)
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A New Astronomy. Nature 58, 173 (1898). https://doi.org/10.1038/058173b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/058173b0