* The marvelous phenomena of new, or temporary, stars, which appear
as suddenly as conflagrations, and often turn into something else
as eccentric as themselves.
* The amazing forms of the ``whirlpool,'' ``spiral,'' ``pinwheel,''
and ``lace,'' or ``tress,'' nebul?.
* The strange surroundings of the sun, only seen in particular
circumstances, but evidently playing a constant part in the daily
phenomena of the solar system.
* The mystery of the Zodiacal Light and the Gegenschein.
* The extraordinary transformations undergone by comets and their
tails.
* The prodigies of meteorites and masses of stone and metal fallen
from the sky.
* The cataclysms that have wrecked the moon.
* The problem of life and intelligence on the planet Mars.
* The problematical origin and fate of the asteroids.
* The strange phenomena of the auroral lights.
An attempt has been made to develop these topics in an orderly way,
showing their connection, so that the reader may obtain a broad
general view of the chief mysteries and problems of astronomy, and an
idea of the immense field of discovery which still lies, almost
unexplored, before it.
The Windows of Absolute Night
To most minds mystery is more fascinating than science. But when
science itself leads straight up to the borders of mystery and there
comes to a dead stop, saying, ``At present I can no longer see my
way,'' the force of the charm is redoubled.
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