882

The question of the true and of the apparent size of the sun.

Epicurus says the sun is the size it looks. Hence as it looks about a foot across we must consider that to be its size; it would follow that when the moon eclipses the sun, the sun ought not to appear the larger, as it does. Then, the moon being smaller than the sun, the moon must be less than a foot, and consequently when our world eclipses the moon, it must be less than a foot by a finger’s breadth; inasmuch as if the sun is a foot across, and our earth casts a conical shadow on the moon, it is inevitable that the luminous cause of the cone of shadow must be larger than the opaque body which casts the cone of shadow.

Taken from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci edited by Jean Paul Richter, 1880.

Notebooks of Leonoardo da Vinci
XIV: Anatomy, Zoology and Physiology.
. . .
862,
863,
864
How to prove that the earth is a planet.
865,
866,
867
The principles of astronomical perspective.
868,
869,
870,
871,
872,
873
On the luminosity of the Earth in the universal space.
874,
875,
876,
877,
878
The question of the true and of the apparent size of the sun.
879,
880,
881,
882,
883,
884
Of the nature of Sunlight.
885
Considerations as to the size of the sun.
886,
887,
888,
889,
890,
891
On the luminousity of the moon.
892,
893,
894,
895,
896,
897,
898,
899,
900,
901
Explanation of the lumen cinereum in the moon.
902
. . .