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The Moon that Wasn't

The Saga of Venus' Spurious Satellite

  • Book
  • © 2008

Overview

Authors:
  1. Helge Kragh

    1. Institute for Science Studies, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

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  • First book ever that recounts the story of Venus’ moon and provides it the place in the history of astronomy that it deserves
  • Meticulously documented and based on a large collection of primary sources
  • By relating the case of Venus’ moon to the cultural climate in the era of enlightenment, it makes a connection between history of astronomy and history of culture

Part of the book series: Science Networks. Historical Studies (SNHS, volume 37)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
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  2. Introduction

    Pages 1-6

  3. A moon or not? A century of confusion

    Pages 7-37

  4. From climax to anticlimax

    Pages 39-76

  5. Contemporary analysis and criticism

    Pages 77-93

  6. A spurious but persistent satellite

    Pages 95-115

  7. Closure: the discussion of the 1880s

    Pages 117-144

  8. Conclusion, and a note on the satellites of Uranus

    Pages 145-154

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 155-199
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Keywords

About this book

The planet Venus is the closest neighbour to the Earth and in several respects similar to our globe. It revolves around the Sun at an average distance of 0. 72 astronomical units, in an elliptical orbit of eccentricity 0. 007. The corresponding 3 numbers for the Earth are 1 and 0. 017. The mean density of Venus is 5. 2 g/cm , 3 that of the Earth 5. 5 g/cm . Venus’ acceleration of gravity at its equator is 8. 9 2 2 m/s , compared with 9. 8 m/s at the Earth. The escape velocity is 10. 4 km/s, while the corresponding ?gure of the Earth is 11. 2 km/s. Although the mass of Venus is somewhat smaller than that of the Earth – the ratio is M /M =0. 815 V E – the diameters of the two planets are almost the same. In other words, Venus is indeed a sister planet of the Earth. In earlier times, when almost nothing was known about the physical con- tions of Venus, the similarity appeared even stronger than today. Not only was Venus’ period of rotation thought to be close to that of the Earth, it wasalso p- sible (and indeed common) to imagine intelligent life on Venus.

Reviews

From the reviews:

“The moon that wasn’t makes the reader aware of how the idea of a Venusian satellite retained its attractiveness not only in science but also in society … . well-produced, clearly organized, and supported by useful illustrations … and an extensive bibliography. … Helge Kragh must be congratulated for writing a solid historical study that portrays lesser known, second- or even third-rate astronomical researches and for offering … new case studies for philosophers of science to ponder.” (Jarosław Włodarczyk, Journal for the History of Astronomy, November, 2010)

“This book is an account of certain peculiar telescopic observations from the 1640s through the 1760s, and of the interpretations of them during this early period and later. … Kragh’s endeavor in this book is to give an account of the Venus-moon affair that is as complete as possible. His examination of the literature has been extensive … . He provides an extensive bibliography, identifying the many primary sources which he has consulted. He includes biographical sketches of the 23 chief characters in his story.” (Curtis Wilson, Aestimatio: Critical Reviews in the History of Science, Issue 8, 2011)

“The Moon That Wasn’t comprehensively reviews the literature relating to the search. … Kragh rigorously supports his narrative by extensive footnotes and references, and includes biographical summaries for two dozen of the prominent individuals associated with the controversy. … this volume contains extensive material of interest to historians … . Summing Up … . Professional and academic historians of science; general readers.” (D. E. Hogg, Choice, Vol. 46 (9), May, 2009)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Institute for Science Studies, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

    Helge Kragh

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