Путешествие на Луну

           Iftheobserverhadthenspeciallydirectedhisattentiontooneofthemorehumbleandlessbrilliantofthesestellarbodies,astarofthefourthclass,thatwhichisarrogantlycalledtheSun,allthephenomenatowhichtheformationoftheUniverseistobeascribedwouldhavebeensuccessivelyfulfilledbeforehiseyes.Infact,hewouldhaveperceivedthissun,asyetinthegaseousstate,andcomposedofmovingmolecules,revolvingrounditsaxisinordertoaccomplishitsworkofconcentration.Thismotion,faithfultothelawsofmechanics,wouldhavebeenacceleratedwiththediminutionofitsvolume;andamomentwouldhavearrivedwhenthecentrifugalforcewouldhaveoverpoweredthecentripetal,whichcausesthemoleculesalltotendtowardthecenter.

           Anotherphenomenonwouldnowhavepassedbeforetheobserver’seye,andthemoleculessituatedontheplaneoftheequator,escapinglikeastonefromaslingofwhichthecordhadsuddenlysnapped,wouldhaveformedaroundthesunsundryconcentricringsresemblingthatofSaturn.Intheirturn,again,theseringsofcosmicalmatter,excitedbyarotarymotionaboutthecentralmass,wouldhavebeenbrokenupanddecomposedintosecondarynebulosities,thatistosay,intoplanets.Similarlyhewouldhaveobservedtheseplanetsthrowoffoneormoreringseach,whichbecametheoriginofthesecondarybodieswhichwecallsatellites.