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In the period that began in 1692 and ended in 1776, the movements of Massachusetts, while restricted and hampered, were at the same time forced into a wider orbit. She was brought into political sympathy with Virginia. While two generations of men were passing across the scene, the political problems of Massachusetts were assimilated to those of Virginia.
What matters to us here is the validity of the conclusions drawn from Roemer's discovery within the framework of thought in which they were made. Boiled down to its purely empirical content, Roemer's observation tells us solely and simply that within the earth's cosmic orbit light-flashes travel with a certain measurable speed.
No second spectrum leaves a legible trace on the plate. Spica revolves in four days at the rate of fifty-seven miles a second, or quicker, in proportion as its orbit is more inclined to the line of sight, round a centre at a minimum distance of three millions of miles. But the position of the second star being unknown, the mass of the system remains indeterminate.
We are all familiar with the ordinary astronomical theory of its origin that which is commonly called the nebular hypothesis according to which it first came into existence as a gigantic glowing nebula, of a diameter far exceeding that of the orbit of even the outermost of the planets, and then, as in the course of countless ages that enormous sphere gradually cooled and contracted, the system as we know it was formed.
Yet this light is very faint, when seen only from the distance of our earth; and at the boundaries of our system, from the orbit of Uranus, for instance, we cannot believe that it is visible at all.
When we consider that these strange bodies fill many, many times the area of our whole solar system to the outermost bounds of Neptune's orbit, it is difficult to imagine what force it is that acts on them to revive or quench their light.
Calculations were made of the shape of the orbit in which it revolved before its discovery by Herschel, and these were compared with the orbit which observations showed the same body to pursue in those later years when its planetary character was known.
Bringing the earth's axis in imagination into a position at right angles to the plane of the orbit, he will see that the effect would be to intensify the equatorial heat, and to rob the high latitudes of the share which they now have. On moving the axis gradually to positions where it approaches the plane of the orbit, he will note that each stage of the change widens the tropic belt.
"You think, then," said Servadac, with a smile, "you have determined the perihelion of our orbit; but how about the aphelion? Can you form a judgment as to what distance we are likely to be carried?" "You are asking too much," remonstrated the count.
So, after spinning round and round his little orbit, and then remaining stationary for a week, it seems to have occurred to him that he was not pinned down to circulate on a pivot, like the hands of the watch, but possessed the power of shifting his central point, and extending his circle if he thought proper.
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