  PART I.
ON LIGHT. | | INTRODUCTION. | | Necessity of light to the knowledge and happiness of all sentient beings—Its beautiful and enlivening effects—An emblem of the Deity—Provision made for its universal diffusion page 1-7. | | CHAPTER I. | | General Properties of Light. | | Interesting nature of this study—Different hypotheses which have been formed respecting the nature of light—It radiates in straight lines—Moves with amazing velocity—Flows in all directions from luminous bodies—Duration of its impressions on the eye—Supposed to have a certain degree of force or momentum—Experiments in relation to this point—Its intensity diminished in proportion to the square of the distance—Its reflection from opake bodies renders objects visible—Intensity of reflected light—Subject to the law of attraction—Forms a constituent part of certain bodies—Solar phosphori, and the phenomena they exhibit—Produces certain effects on planets and flowers, exemplified in a variety of instances—Supposed to have an influence on the propagation of sound page 8-37 | | Reflections on the nature of light, and the multifarious effects it produces throughout the universe—A representation of the Divinity—Wisdom and Goodness of God displayed in its formation page 37-40. | | CHAPTER II. | | On the Refraction of Light. | Nature of refraction—Illustrated by experiments—Angle of refraction—Familiar experiments illustrative of refraction—Refraction explains the causes of many curious and interesting phenomena—Its effect on the heavenly bodies—On the twilight—Illustrated by figures
page 41-53. | | EXTRAORDINARY CASES OF REFRACTION IN RELATION TO TERRESTRIAL OBJECTS. | Extraordinary appearance of the coast of France from Hastings—Appearance of a ship seen by Captain Colby, beyond the coast of Caithness—Scoresby’s view of his father’s ship when beyond the horizon—Phenomenon near the Himalaya mountains—Bell Rock light-house—Summary statement of the diversified effects of refraction—Reflections on the beneficent and diversified effects produced by the law of refraction—It increases the length of the day, particularly in the polar regions—Is the cause of that splendour which appears in the objects around us—Quantity of refraction in respect to terrestrial objects, and its utility—Its effects may be more diversified in other worlds
page 53-63. | | CHAPTER III. | | On the Refraction of Light through Spherical Transparent Substances, or Lenses. | | Refraction the foundation of optical instruments—Various forms of lenses—Parallel, converging, and diverging rays—Illustrated by diagrams—Concave lenses, their effects, and how to find their focal distances—Images formed by convex lenses—Illustrated by experiments—Principles in relation to images formed by lenses—Their magnifying powers, &c. page 63-75. | | REFLECTIONS DEDUCED FROM THE PRECEDING SUBJECT. | | Property of the rays of light in forming images of objects—Wonderful results and discoveries which have flowed from this property—in relation to our knowledge of the scenery of the heavens and the minute parts of nature—and of our views of the attributes of Deity page 75-80. | | CHAPTER IV. | | On the Reflection of Light. | | Nature of reflection—Plane, convex, and concave speculums—Angle of reflection—Reflection of objects from plane mirrors, illustrated by figures—Reflection by Convex and Concave mirrors—Properties of convex mirrors, and the purposes to which they are applied. Properties of concave speculums, and their utility—Of the images formed by concave speculums—Illustrated by a variety of figures and experiments—Their power of magnifying and burning—Amusing deceptions produced by—Resemblance between the properties of convex lenses, and concave mirrors—Quantity of light reflected by polished surfaces page 81-106. | | UNCOMMON APPEARANCES OF NATURE PRODUCED BY THE COMBINED INFLUENCE OF REFLECTION AND REFRACTION. | | Fata Morgana—The Mirage—Inverted images of ships seen in the horizon—Appearance of Dover castle at Ramsgate—Spectre of the Brocken—Scenes in the Highlands of Scotland—Large cross seen at MignÉ in France—Dr. Wollaston’s illustrations of such phenomena—Utility of science in dissipating superstitious fears page 106-118. | | REMARKS AND REFLECTIONS IN REFERENCE TO THE PHENOMENA DESCRIBED ABOVE. | | Light, the beauty of the universe, and a symbol of the Divinity—In other worlds it may produce an infinite variety of sublime scenery page 118-122. | | CHAPTER V. | | Sect. 1.—On the Colours of Light. | | Colours, the beauty of nature—Opinions which were formerly entertained respecting their cause—Sir I. Newton’s experiments with the Prism—Colours and phenomena produced by the prism—Imperfection of optic lenses—Various illustrations—Differently coloured rays have not the same illuminating power—Heating and chemical properties of some of the rays
@html@files@54420@54420-h@54420-h-14.htm.html#OBSERVATIONS_ON_JUPITER_AND_OTHER_PLANETS" class="pginternal">OBSERVATIONS ON JUPITER AND OTHER PLANETS. | | General conclusions, &c. page 480-485.
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