We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
28 eclipses, the Moon is the chief agent in producing a more ordinary but not less wonderful effect, which we observe in the alternate flux and reflux of the ocean. The Moon, having an attraction for the Earth similar to that which the Earth has for the Moon, though much less on account of the difference in size, has a constant tendency to draw up the more moveable parts of it to the point nearest itself ; so that the depth of water in any part of the Earth, when the Moon is exactly opposite to it, or on its meridian, is much greater than it is at other times. As the Earth turns on its axis once in 24 hours, each part of it would be opposite the Moon once during that time, and there would consequently he a rise of the water in each part of the_ Earth once in 24 hours ; but as the Moon during that time has travelled forwards about l-30th part of her orbit, it will not be on the meridian of any place, till about 24f hours from the time it was there before ; and therefore that would be the interval which would elapse between one tide and another. But we find that only half that interval elapses, and that there is a tide on the side of the Earth directly opposite to that, on the meridian of which the Moon is. This may be explained in the following manner. It is the law of attraction, that the attraction diminishes as the square of the distance of the attracting body increases. The part of the Earth nearest the Moon will therefore be attracted more strongly than the centre of the Earth ; and the centre more strongly than the opposite extremity. The water, therefore, in that part, will have less attraction towards the centre of the Earth ; and being as it were left behind, will rise in that part to a height nearly equal to that of the water which is under the Moon : whilst the water being drawn away from the parts of the Earth midway between these two points, ebb tide will be produced there. The attraction of the Sun also has an influence upon the water ; but not in so great a degree as that of the