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Quote by Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle

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Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle
Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle

Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle was a French author known for his works in philosophy, literature, and science. Born on February 11, 1657, and passing away on January 9, 1757, he was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment era. His writings often explored the intersection of science and religion, and he is best known for his popularization of scientific ideas. more

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“They have likewise discovered two lesser stars, or satellites, which revolve around Mars, whereof the innermost is distant from the center of the primary exactly three of his diameters, and the outermost five: the former revolves in the space of ten hours, and the latter in twenty-one and a half, so that the squares of their periodical times are very near in the same proportion with the cubes of their distances from the center of Mars; which evidently shows them to be governed by the same Law of Gravitation that influences the other heavenly bodies.”

TwoBodyLawThreeStarsHoursSpaceHalfFiveInfluenceFutureTenTwentiesDistanceFormerPrimariesProportionLatterHeavenlySquaresMarsPredictionsTwenty OneSatellitesCubesGravitationHeavenly Bodies
Author:Jonathan Swift
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“From the moment they had left the Earth, their own weight, and that of the Projectile and the objects therein contained, had been undergoing a progressive diminution. . . . Of course, it is quite clear, that this decrease could not be indicated by an ordinary scales, as the weight to balance the object would have lost precisely as much as the object itself. But a spring balance, for instance, in which the tension of the coil is independent of attraction, would have readily given the exact equivalent of the loss.”

MomentsEarthCoursesLostLeftGivenLossClearObjectsBalanceFutureSpringOrdinaryWeightIndependentAttractionScalesInstanceTensionProgressivePredictionsDecreaseProjectile
Book:All Around The Moon
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“The distance between the earth and her satellite is a mere trifle, and undeserving of serious consideration. I am convinced that before twenty years are over one-half of our earth will have paid a visit to the moon.”

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Book:From the Earth to the moon/De la Terre à la lune (Bilingual edition/Édition bilingue)
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“The universe will finally become a ball of radiation, becoming more and more rarified and passing into longer and longer wave-lengths. The longest waves of radiation are Hertzian waves of the kind used in broadcasting. About every 1500 million years this ball of radio waves will double in diameter; and it will go on expanding in geometrical progression for ever. Perhaps then I may describe the end of the physical world as-one stupendous broadcast.”

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Author:Arthur Eddington
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“The choice, as Wells once said, is the Universe-or nothing. . . . The challenge of the great spaces between the worlds is a stupendous one; but if we fail to meet it, the story of our race will be drawing to its close. Humanity will have turned its back upon the still untrodden heights and will be descending again the long slope that stretches, across a thousand million years of time, down to the shores of the primeval sea.”

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Author:Arthur C. Clarke
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