Wesley Corpus

Remark 1. 'You say (page 148), " Even with respect to the distance of the Sun, it is wisest to confess our ignorance, and to acknowledge we have nothing to rest upon here but mere uncertain conjecture."' I did not say this of the distance of the Sun in particular. My words are: 'With regard to their distance from the Earth (the distance of all the bodies in the solar system), there is such an immense difference in the calculations of astronomers, even with respect to the distance of the Sun, that it is wisest to confess our ignorance'--namely, with regard to their distance (page 146). To prove that we are not ignorant hereof you say: 'The knowledge of the Sun's distance depends on finding its parallax, or the angle that the semi-diameter of the Earth appears under at the Sun; which angle is so very minute that an error of a single second will give the distance very considerably greater or less than the true distance.' It will; and therefore I doubt whether the distance of any heavenly body can ever be known by this means. 'But Mr. Keil says: " We are assured, by various methods made use of to obtain the Sun's parallax, that his distance from us is more than twenty-eight millions of miles."' He may be assured; but I am not. 'He says farther: " Two eminent astronomers have since determined the Sun's distance to be about seventy-six millions of miles." Now, if the least distance possible is absolutely determined, how can it be wisest to confess our ignorance' If it be: but I doubt it cannot be determined at all--at least, not by the Sun's parallax, 'seeing this is so very minute that an error of a single second will give the distance very considerably greater or less than the true.'