Page:Popular Astronomy - Airy - 1881.djvu/30

16 then the course of the light would be bent downwards.

Now, as regards astronomical observations, we have no water or glass concerned; but we have a thing which produces refraction, and that is atmospheric air. The common air produces refraction. The visible exhibition of this refraction is one of those nice experiments which I cannot attempt to exhibit to an audience like this. But it may be shown in various ways; as, for instance, by forming a prism of glass, and compressing more air into it; or again, by exhausting the air from it. It is shown that the effect of air is precisely the same in kind as the effect of water, though much less in degree. It may be stated as a general law, that where light enters from external space into air, or into water, or glass, or diamond, if you please, or any other transparent substance—where light enters from external space into any one of these substances, its course is bent in such a direction that it is more nearly perpendicular to the dividing surface than it was before. Now, having laid that down as a general law, let us see what its application will be to atmospheric air. In making astronomical observations,



let us assume that Figure 6 represents a part of the