The Immaterial Nature of the Satellites of the Earth, part 2 (of 2)

It would, thus, appear that the satellite discs are not
reflections of the Earth like the Babylonians believed
in the case of the Moon, since the earth is not round.
They are either direct projections emanating from
luminous centres, or reflections on the vault of the
sky, of primary luminous projections. It has been, in
fact, said by the ancients, speaking of the Sun, that
it is only a reflection of a much greater and more
powerful sun existing in an exterior Universe.

If either of these two alternatives is correct, the great
difficulty, however, which still remains to be solved
in a satisfactory manner, is the motion itself of the
satellites. Now, in the course of research on light,
the author has come across certain experiments carried
out in the last century by the French physicist
Lissajou* whereby a spot of light reflected on a
screen is made to move, simply by imparting a vibration
to the surface from which this spot of light is
reflected; and the experiments in question seem to
supply the mechanism of the motion, including even
retrogradation, of reflected luminous projections on
the vault of heaven corresponding to the discs.
In these demonstrations, rays of light are allowed
to fall on a mirror fixed to one branch of a tuning
fork.

The spot of light thus obtained is reflected from
the mirror on to a second one similarly attached to
another tuning fork, and from there again reflected
on a screen. The screen, in this comparison, corresponds
to the vault of the sky, and the spot of light to
the various satellite discs of the earth. By letting
either fork vibrate alone, the motion of its attached
mirror will cause the spot to travel to and fro in a
straight line on the screen; but on account of the
persistence of vision we then see an unbroken line of
light. We now come to the important part of the
demonstration. If the two forks, with mirrors

* Jules, Antoine Lissajou, born in Versailles in 1822. Died 1880.
Carried out important research work on sound and optic. His reputation
was established by his Etude Optique des Mouvements
Vibratoires, 1873.

attached, vibrate together, the spot of light then
describes a curve, the form of which varies according
to the rate of vibration. The continuous luminous
curve is also created by a fast to and fro motion of
the spot of light, like the straight line obtained
previously by the vibration of one of the reflecting
mirrors only. Under these conditions the satellite
discs of the Earth may result from similar circumstances,
i.e., two successive reflections (the last one
on to the vault of the sky) of a primary luminous
projection, the motion being automatically created,
as well as the curved line of the orbit, by the vibratory
modes of the surfaces from which they are
reflected, as per the demonstration. If we suppose
the existence of slow vibrations, the retrogradation,
which corresponds to the to and fro motion of the
spot of light as reflected on the screen, would be
obtained; but in the case of the sun and the moon,
which do not retrograde, the vibrations of the reflecting
surfaces would be fast in order to conform to that
part of the experiment, where due to the persistence of
vision created by the rapidity of the vibrations, a continuous
curve is produced. It would, thus, appear
that since the results obtained by Lissajou reproduce
the characteristics displayed by the satellite discs of
the earth as regards their origin and their motion,
this explanation could be accepted. If experiments
were carried out thereby ascertaining the suitable
vibratory motions to be applied to the reflecting surfaces,
it is probable that a complete reconstitution of
the cosmic device could be affected.

Before becoming aware of the Lissajou tests,
which now seem conclusive,
the author was of opinion that the motion of
the disc satellites of the earth was due to a natural,
although unexplainable, moving projection device,
since the fast or slow, either direct or retrograde
movements, as well as the period of immobility of the
satellites, can all be reproduced by the mechanism of
cinematography.

As to the origin of the vibratory agents, the
author’s theory is that they result from the passage
of the semi-annual and daily cosmic breath streams,
of which they follow the increasing and decreasing
phases. It is stated in the Hindu texts, to which
reference has already been made, that the chariot (of
the Sun) becomes restless upon the arrival of dawn,
signifying here the breath of day, which sets it in
motion; and this might indicate that the simultaneous
vibrating of the two reflecting surfaces which determine
the ascending and descending movement of
the Sun, is produced and governed by the breath of
day. In that case, there would be a new sun every
morning, and this could perhaps explain the reason
of its obvious weakness upon rising and setting; in
the latter circumstance the usual flickering which
precedes the extinction of a light can readily be
observed.

The passage of the semi-annual increasing
and decreasing summer and winter breath streams
would also create in the reflecting surfaces correspondingly
increasing and decreasing vibrations,
affecting, thus, the yearly height of the sun. These
hypotheses may only constitute an imperfect solution
of the problem, but they may lead in the future, by
means of suitable research and experiments, to a
more concrete explanation.

The origin and situation of the luminous projector
centres would still have to be elucidated. Their size
may be very small, but the projections would be
greatly enlarged by the successive reflections, particularly
the last one on the vault of the sky. These
primary sources of light may be situated, as the
ancients thought in the case of the sun, in an exterior
Universe communicating with the interior of the
cavity which contains the earth by means of openings,
as early cosmogonies include many references to the
existence of doors and windows in the vault of the
sky. It is improbable that the exploration of sidereal
space, as far as it can be carried, will ever permit to
clear up the difficulty, or furnish information as to
the situation of the vibrating surfaces from which the
discs are reflected on the vault of the sky.

It can also now be understood that, since they are
reflections, the satellite discs of the earth cannot, of
their own, produce any sort of phenomenon; and if
spots or shadows appear in their circumference it is
clear that these modifications occur in the first place
either in the primary projector centre or on the reflecting
surfaces, or, perhaps, on the vault of the sky;
and that these modifications are reproduced eventually
in the interior of the discs. Circular currents
moving at unequal speeds at various latitudes have
been observed in the sun; and as these appear to
represent a rotary motion, it has been assumed that
the latter rotates on its axis at a speed of twenty-four
days in the region of its equator, and of twenty-five
days in the case of its other latitudes; but it can be
understood that these currents, or vortices, exist either
in the primary projector centre, or in the reflecting
surfaces, and that they are represented in the interior
of the solar disc, although these manifestations might
also be due to the disc’s motion on the reflecting convex
walls of the sky.

Some secondary satellites, or moons, are also said
to have been discovered round the satellite discs of the
earth, but they can be assumed to be optical illusions;
and that if they are not caused by a distortion of
vision in the objective, they may result from a multiple
refraction of the primary disc on the adjacent
walls of the dome.

It is necessary to recall what has previously been
said concerning the short distance of the vault; consequently
the luminous discs, called planets, which
move on the latter, are also less than one hundred
kilometers from the earth.

immaterial nature of the Moon, old flat earth booklet,