Chapter 31: List of puzzles solved by the TYCHOS

This final chapter will review and summarize the many astronomical puzzles resolved by the TYCHOS model. The reader is encouraged to share this "list of puzzles solved by the TYCHOS" with anyone who might wonder why the TYCHOS model (based on Tycho Brahe's original geoheliocentric system) deserves to be seriously considered - and why the Copernican theory needs to be definitively discarded.

The TYCHOS model differs from the Copernican model in numerous important aspects, which confer on it a vastly greater explanatory power. To help readers memorize these differences and their relevance to our understanding of the Solar System we inhabit, I have put together the checklist below. Each item has been exhaustively cross-verified with the observational data produced over the centuries by the world’s most eminent and committed astronomers.

It is a commonly held misconception that the heliocentric theory, as proposed by Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo many centuries ago, has by now been fully confirmed as the only true and correct system of our world. When questioned about it, most earnest astronomers and cosmologists will openly admit that many empirical/ observational realities remain unaccounted for, lacking a solid and wholly satisfactory explanation.

An extensive series of long-standing, yet to this day unsettled, riddles and mysteries of astronomy are shown to be effectively resolved and/or elucidated by the core principles of the TYCHOS model - and its geometric layout. Below is a practical overview of its most significant argumentations, discoveries and logically-formulated conclusions, with an indication of the chapters of this book where they are more extensively expounded and illustrated.

1 • Why would our Sun have a binary companion? As it is, a better and far more sensible question would be: "why would our Sun NOT have a binary companion?" We know today that the vast majority (or quite possibly 100%) of the visible stars in our skies revolve around a smaller companion (in intersecting orbits and around their common barycenter). Hence, the notion that the Sun would be the only 'bachelor' of our Universe should alert any rational thinker to its inherent absurdity. The TYCHOS model does away with this glaring aberration and exhaustively substantiates that Mars is the obvious binary companion of the Sun and that it regularly transits in the middle of Earth's PVP orbit. The latter explains and accounts for - in the simplest manner imaginable - our Solar System's 'clockwise' equinoctial precession. (see Chapter 2)

2 • Why only Mercury and Venus have no moons. In the TYCHOS model, Mercury and Venus are moonless simply because they are the Sun’s moons and, as we can read in the Wikipedia's "Natural Satellite" entry, “no moons of moons or subsatellites (natural satellites that orbit a natural satellite of a planet) are currently known as of 2019.“ Also, it is no coincidence that Mercury and Venus rotate around their axes at 'walking pace' (10.93km/h and 13.56km/h respectively), similarly to our Moon (16.65km/h). None of our planets rotate anywhere near as slowly (e.g. Jupiter: 43000 km/h and Saturn: 35000 km/h). That such a striking contrast between the Mercury/Venus duo and the rest of our planets has gone unnoticed (or remained undebated) to this day by our world's astronomers is a mystery in itself. (see end of Chapter 3)

3 • Why both Mars and the Sun exhibit 79-year cycles - as well as cycles locked at a 2:1 ratio. Under the Copernican model, this little-known fact could only be attributed to some bizarre, “cosmic happenstance”. Under the TYCHOS paradigm however, these findings are not by any means unexpected, since the two bodies make up a binary pair. For them to exhibit resonant long-term cycles is perfectly consistent with the TYCHOS model's core principles. (see Chapters 5 & 9)

4 • Why planets retrograde periodically the way they do. Current explanations for our planet's periodic (and irregular) retrograde motions are directly contradicted by the most basic laws of perspective: if the retrograde motions were caused by speed differentials (between Earth and the planets), then the width and duration of a given planet's retrograde motions should INCREASE (in relation to the background stars) as it transits closer to Earth and DECREASE as it transits further from Earth. Instead, the exact opposite is observed. The TYCHOS provides geometrically rigorous and empirically-supported demonstrations for these all-important observed phenomena which have puzzled our world’s astronomers for millennia. (see Chapter 5 and Chapter 29)

5 • Why are Sirius A and Sirius B proportionally identical to the Sun and Mars?" This remains an open question which, however, certainly deserves our utmost attention. To dismiss this fact as some sort of 'accidental happenstance' cannot be an acceptable argument within any reasoned scientific discourse. In any event, the idea that Sirius might be the Sun's binary companion is not new: in later decades, it has been put forth by several independent research groups (e.g. the Binary Research Institute) - and is supported by a host of compelling indications. Under the TYCHOS, it is suggested that the two binary systems (Sun-Mars and Sirius A-B ) may plausibly constitute a so-called "double-double" system - of which there are many examples in our skies - the two pairs revolving around each other over very long periods. (see Chapter 6)

6 • Why Mars can occasionally line up (as viewed from Earth) with the same star within a ca. 546-day period. A given Mars-star alignment occurs most frequently (7 out of 8 times) every 707 days or so - yet will occasionally (1 out of 8 times) occur in only 546 days or so. In the TYCHOS model, this is shown to be a plain and natural geometric consequence of the peculiar, “spirographic” motion of Mars around our planet. As the Copernican theory has it, this 546-day alignment with the very same star (that habitually lines up with Mars every 707 days) would somehow occur in spite of the line of sight between Earth, Mars and a given star having drifted laterally by about 300 million kilometers! (see Chapter 7)

7 • Why Venus appears to Copernican observers to rotate around its axis in a clockwise direction. In reality, Venus rotates counterclockwise, just like all the other components of our Solar System. The illusion of its apparent clockwise (or 'retrograde') rotation is upheld by the erronneous notion that Earth rotates around it - and not vice versa - in the course of Venus' 1.6-year (or 584.4-day) synodic period. In other words, one may say that it's a 'heliocentrism-induced' illusion. (see Chapter 8)

8 • Why the orbits of Venus and Mercury are co-planar with the Sun's equatorial ecliptic. The Sun's polar axis is inclined at about 6° or 7° with respect to our ecliptic plane (a still unresolved enigma of astrophysics) - and so are the orbits of Venus and Mercury. This fact (which can be verified in the Tychosium 3D simulator) constitutes strong supportive evidence that Venus and Mercury are the Sun's two moons - as defined in the TYCHOS model. (see Chapter 9)

9 • Why the Sun, Mars and our Moon all exhibit axial tilts of about 7°. The TYCHOS submits that this may be due to the Sirius binary system exhibiting a similar 7° obliquity (as seen from the Earth) - and that our Solar System & the Sirius System constitute a so-called "double-double" binary pair. (see Chapters 6, 9 and 20)

10 • The reason for the “precession of the equinoxes” and why our North Stars change over time. The precession of the equinoxes (or "General Precession") is the observed, annual ‘retrograde’/ eastward drift of the stars (i.e. our entire firmament), as has been observed and documented ever since antiquity. As has been thoroughly demonstrated by a number of recent studies, the Earth does not slowly wobble in the opposite direction of its axial rotation. Hence, the Copernican theory is left, incredibly enough, without an explanation for the observed and all-important General Precession. In the TYCHOS, what is commonly known as the 'Precession of the Equinoxes' is simply caused by the Earth’s slow, clockwise motion around its 25344-year circular "PVP" orbit (Polaris-Vega-Polaris). (see Chapter 11)

11 • Why the solar day is longer than the sidereal day - and the solar year is shorter than the sidereal year. These two undeniable and well-known facts still lack satisfactory explanations under the Copernican theory’s geometric layout. The TYCHOS provides simple geometric explanations for these apparently contradictory (yet empirically-verifiable) observations. (see Chapter 12)

12 • Why the Moon appears to be the “central driveshaft” of our entire solar system. Our Moon's 29.22-day True Mean Synodic Period (TMSP) would seem utterly mysterious under the Copernican model’s heliocentric configuration. Why is our Moon's TMSP reflected (in almost exact integer multiples) by all the components of our system? To wit, if the Moon were just one of many satellites revolving around the various planets in our system, why would its orbital periods be "resonant" with all of our planets' orbital periods? In the TYCHOS, all of this becomes a far less mysterious affair: the Moon revolves around the Earth, located at the center of our Sun-Mars binary system - and is therefore the "central orbiter" of the same. (see Chapter 13 and Chapter 16)

13 • Why our Moon lines up with the same star every 27.3 days. If the Earth-Moon system truly hurtled at 107226 km/h around the Sun (as of current theory), it would cover a 70 million-km orbital section every 27.3 days. Yet, the Moon is observed to reconjunct with any given star every 27.3 days! In the TYCHOS, this is no mystery since the Earth-Moon system moves at “snail pace” - covering a mere 1049km every 27.3 days. Remarkably, 27.3 days is also the time employed by the Sun (see 'Carrington number') to rotate around its own axis. (see Chapter 13)

14 • Why the Moon's perigees and apogees oscillate as observed. The Moon oscillates from perigee to perigee (its closest transits from Earth) by about 14036 km - and from perigee to apogee (as it transits furthest from Earth) by 42108 km, i.e. 3 X 14036). These distances reflect (at a 3:1 ratio) Earth's annual motion (of 14036 km) around its PVP orbit, thus providing spectacular support to the TYCHOS model's proposed orbital speed of the Earth. Moreover, the TYCHOS fully explains the existence of the Moon's puzzling exeligmos cycle of 54.1 years (or 3 saros cycles of 18.03 years) as it represents the time needed for the Earth-Moon system to cover a distance equal to the Moon's orbital diameter. (see Chapter 13)

15 • Why our Moon appears to accelerate in relation to the Earth. This is no more than an illusory conclusion that astronomers are drawing due to their erroneous heliocentric perspective. In the TYCHOS model, this apparent acceleration is a fully expected corollary of the Earth-Moon system's snail-paced motion around the PVP orbit. (see Chapter 14)

16 • Why our largest meteor showers recur at regular annual intervals. According to current theory, our most famous meteor showers are caused by our planet regularly - i.e. every year at specific dates and locations - smashing into scattered dust-trails left over by various comets, in spite of the fact that no comets are known to return on a yearly basis! The TYCHOS submits a more rational and demonstrable cause for the annual recurrences of our largest meteor showers, showing that they coincide with the regularly intersecting orbital paths of the Sun and Mars. (see Chapter 15)

17 • Why geologists have identified a particularly stable 405-kyr cycle. As shown in the Tychosium 3D simulator, all the bodies in our "inner Solar System", i.e. Mars, Venus, Mercury and the Sun (with the exception of our Moon), exhibit a distinct 405500-year cycle - as they return to virtually the same place (ephemeris) in our skies after such an interval. In twice that period (i.e. 405500 X 2 = 811000 years) they again return to the same place, but this time around, so does our Moon. It is further examined whether the 811000-year cycle may be the time employed for our Solar System and the Sirius System to revolve around each other. (see Chapters 16 and 20)

18 • Why the conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn appear to be unequal - or "chaotic". At the end of the 19th century, what astronomers called "the Great Inequality" concerned the observed fluctuations of Jupiter's and Saturn's conjunctions. It triggered a vivid debate between our world's top scientists because, according to Newton's laws, it meant that Jupiter would inevitably end up crashing into the Sun, while Saturn would be driven away into the depths of space. In other words, the very stability and survival of our Solar System was at stake! This 'alarming puzzle' was never truly solved - in spite of some abstruse and convoluted claims to the contrary. Once more, the TYCHOS can show that these (only apparently irregular) Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions are a plain and natural consequence of Earth's 1.6 km/h-motion around its PVP orbit. (see Chapter 17)

19 • Why Uranus, Neptune and Pluto support the TYCHOS model's tenets. The TYCHOS shows that all the orbital periods of our Solar System's bodies are multiples of our Moon's synodic period (and thus, exact multiples of the Sun's 1-year orbital period). The only reason why the orbital periods of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto appear to be slightly shorter than 84, 165 and 248 integer years is due to Earth's slow progression along its PVP orbit. (see Chapter 18)

20 • Why the equinoctial precession appears to increase exponentially. The TYCHOS provides a plain geometric explanation for this age-old (yet still unresolved) mystery. The rate of precessional increase is naturally exponential because it is caused by two separate, cumulative components: (1) The East-to-West lateral displacement of the Earth vis-à-vis the stars and (2) the East-to-West secular rotation of Earth’s equinox vis-à-vis the stars. (see Chapter 19)

21 • Why Mars is officially reckoned to have a “great cycle” of about 51000 years. This time span is very close to being twice the duration of the “Great Year” (of 25344 solar years), as determined by the TYCHOS model. As the motions of the Sun and Mars are “locked” in a 2:1 relationship, it is to be fully expected that the “Great Year of Mars" would amount to 50688 solar years (i.e. 25344 X 2). (see Chapter 19)

22 • Why Earth’s rotation is believed to decelerate. This is another illusory conclusion drawn by heliocentrists which the TYCHOS can readily explain and demonstrate - both geometrically and mathematically. Since Copernican astronomers are unaware of the Earth's motion around its PVP orbit, their interpretrations of our Solar System's secular motions will always be in error. (see Chapter 19)

23 • The significance of the 81100-year "Mega Cycle". it is officially estimated that the last reversal of the Earth's magnetic poles occurred roughly 800000 years ago. The TYCHOS model submits that this long period may be related to the time employed by the Solar System and the Sirius System to revolve around each other (811000 years). (see Chapter 20)

24 • The enormous disparity between the pole reversals of the Sun and the Earth. The Sun's magnetic pole reversals occur every 11.5 years (on average) whereas the last reversal of the Earth's poles is estimated to have occurred as many as 781000 years ago. As viewed under the TYCHOS paradigm, this would seem to suggest that the polar reversals of the Sun and the Earth are commensurate to their respective orbital speeds (107226 km/h versus 1.6 km/h). (see Chapter 20)

25 • The reasons for the curious 8-shaped 'analemma' traced by the Sun and for our need of the Equation of Time'. The principal cause for the Sun's 8-shaped, asymmetric annual displacement is the trochoidal path around which any earthly observer will gyrate each year ("A Man's Yearly Path"). The analemma turns out to be Earth’s 'speedometer' since it can be shown to reflect its 1.6 km/h orbital velocity. Moreover, the analemma directly falsifies the current theory for the apparent solar (or earthly) accelerations and decelerations: this, because the Sun is observed to “accelerate” (which, in the heliocentric model, would be equivalent to Earth speeding up) between June and July, i.e. when Earth is furthest from the Sun. The core principles of Kepler’s laws of planetary motion are thus disproven - since they stipulate that Earth will decelerate as it transits farthest from the Sun (i.e. the very opposite of what is observed). (see Chapter 21)

26 • A possible clue to the mysterious 137 number. In the TYCHOS, for every diurnal rotation of the Earth, the Sun moves by a distance corresponding to 1/137th of the circumference of the Earth's PVP orbit. This peculiar 1/137 ratio (a.k.a. the "fine structure constant Alpha") is one of the hottest topics debated among today's theoretical physicists since it appears to pervade the very structure of our Universe, both at micro and macro levels; the TYCHOS shows that the Sun might just 'play the role of the electron' - as it orbits around 'the atom's nucleus' (i.e. the central magnetic field constituted by Earth's PVP orbit). Moreover, the observed, minuscule variation of Alpha reflects the daily motion of the Earth. (see Chapter 21)

27 • Bradley's 'stellar aberration' was hailed as "the ultimate proof of Earth's revolution around the Sun. (although it was subsequently contradicted by "Airy’s failure"). The TYCHOS demonstrates that Bradley's abstruse theory was entirely spurious: the observed, 'looping' motions of the stars (which were totally unexpected under the heliocentric paradigm) are simply caused by the trochoidal path around which earthly observers will be revolving annually. (see Chapter 22)

28 • The flagrant fallacy of “the anomalous precession of Mercury’s perihelion”. This infamous and hotly-debated "anomaly" was purportedly resolved by Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, making him a world-famous celebrity overnight. The TYCHOS model shows that there is no such anomaly whatsoever: the seemingly inexplicable extra 43″-per-century precession of Mercury’s perihelion is nothing but a 'delusive corollary' of heliocentrism; once we consider that Mercury revolves around Earth (and not vice versa), this purported anomaly simply disappears. (see Chapter 22)

29 • Why we can see so many stars with our naked eyes. Copernican astronomers tell us that the closest star system (the Proxima Centauri A and B duo and their "parents", the Alpha Cen A and Alpha Cen B binary pair) is some 4.3 light years away, while the farthest stars we can see with our unaided eyes are said to be up to 6000 light years away (or more)! These extraordinary claims become considerably less implausible in the TYCHOS model which posits that the stars are about 42633 times closer than currently believed. This is because star distances are estimated (using simple trigonometry) under the assumption that Earth moves laterally by 299.2 million km every six months. In the TYCHOS, however, the Earth only moves by 7018 km every six months (i.e. 42633 times less than currently assumed). (see Chapter 23)

30 • The perceived relative speed of our solar system vis-à-vis the stars ”. Our entire Solar System is estimated to move at approximately 19.4 km/s in relation to the stars (or vice versa). Once more, the TYCHOS has a plain and simple explanation for this generally agreed-upon relative speed: if we convert 19.4 km/s to km/h, we obtain 69840 km/h. As we divide 69840 by 42633 (the TYCHOS “reduction factor”), we obtain 1.638 km/h, or almost exactly 1.601169 km/h - i.e. the proposed orbital speed of Earth in the TYCHOS. In fact, the evidence available from observational data pointing to the Earth’s 1.6 km/h motion is overwhelming. _(see Chapter 23)

31 • The 'failure' of the Michelson-Morley experiments. We are told that the numerous interferometer experiments which attempted to detect the supposed hypersonic motion of Earth all miserably failed and obtained "null results" (thus confirming Einstein's theories). However, at a closer scrutiny, the (NON-null) velocities recorded by most of these experiments (particularly those of Dayton Miller) can be shown to support Earth's 1.6km/h orbital speed - as proposed by the TYCHOS. Moreover, Michelson is even quoted as saying that he “thought of the possibility that the solar system as a whole might have moved in the opposite direction to the Earth”. This is, of course, precisely what Earth does in the TYCHOS model: it slowly moves in the opposite direction of all of its 'family members' in the Solar System. (see chapter 24)

32 • The existence of negative and zero parallax. The curious and apparently inexplicable so-called 'negative' stellar parallax exhibited by a good 25% of our stars (as well as the baffling amount of stars - nearly 50% - registering zero parallax) are shown to be natural corollaries of the TYCHOS model's geometry. In other words, the “mysterious” existence of three types of observed stellar parallaxes (positive, negative and zero) is to be fully expected in the TYCHOS model. Conversely, the existence of negative stellar parallax is a physical impossibility under the Copernican/heliocentric model. Note that the TYCHOS model does not negate the vast amount of stellar parallax data gathered to this day; on the contrary, it provides a perfectly logical explanation for its observed distribution (i.e. roughly 25% positive, 25% negative, and 50% zero). (see Chapter 25)

33 • Why Kapteyn believed there were two star streams - traveling in opposed directions. This remarkable (yet long-abandoned) thesis put forth by the famed star statistician Jacobus Kapteyn neatly goes to support the TYCHOS model's tenets: as our planet moves along an almost 'straight line" (over several centuries), the closer stars "to our left" and the closer stars "to our right" will exhibit opposed (i.e. 'positive AND negative') parallaxes in relation to the more distant, 'fixed stars'. Indeed, the famous French astronomer Ernest Esclangon was later able to detect this minute "dissymmetry of space" (as he called it) over only a semi-diurnal period (i.e. 12 hours). (see Chapter 26)

34 • Why Kepler erroneously concluded that all planetary orbits must be elliptical and that planets have variable speeds. In the TYCHOS, all celestial bodies orbit around uniformly circular orbits and travel at constant speeds. Since they all revolve around the Earth (as it proceeds along its PVP orbit), they will alternately find themselves on either side of our slow-moving planet; this causes our surrounding planets and moons to appear to have elliptical orbits and variable speeds. Kepler's hallowed 'laws of planetary motion' are thus based on deceptive illusions of perspective or - if you will - of 'space-time'. (see end of Chapter 26)

35 • The Sun's "Angular Momentum problem". Under the heliocentric theory it is calculated that the Sun would account for only 0.3 percent of the total angular momentum of our entire Solar System - since it would employ as many as 240 million years to complete just ONE of its orbital revolutions. This is a major riddle (and a glaring violation of Newtonian physics) that has eluded, to this day, any satisfactory explanation. In the TYCHOS, on the other hand, the Sun revolves around its 'local orbit' in ca. 365¼ days (completing a full cycle in 25344 years) - something which would bring the Sun right in line with its expected angular momentum. (see Chapter 27)

36 • The peculiar motions of the Barnard's star. Our fastest-moving star displays a peculiar (4month / 8month) annual lateral oscillation as it keeps ascending in our skies. The TYCHOS shows just why earthly observers, as they revolve around their annual trochoidal path, will observe that curious 'zig-zagging' trajectory of the Barnard's star. (see Chapter 28)

37 • The minuscule retrograde periods of the Eros asteroid. The TYCHOS explains the extremely short retrograde periods of Eros, the first Near-Earth-Asteroid (NEA) ever discovered. Under the heliocentric model, this behavior of Eros would violate the most basic laws of perspective; this, because the close-passing Eros should be observed to retrograde by a far larger amount than our more distant planets - yet this is not what is observed. (see Chapter 29)

38 • Why would comets orbit around cigar-shaped orbits? They don't. The notion that comets—and comets only—would revolve around extremely elongated elliptical orbits is utterly absurd, for a number of reasons. To wit, if asteroids—most of which are of similar size as comets—revolve around circular orbits (or near-circular, as officially claimed), why then would comets obey to radically different physical laws? Ironically enough, Isaac Newton's entire cometary theory was founded on a case of mistaken identity between a (purported) comet and an asteroid: as expounded in Chapter 30, the object observed by Gottfried Kirch in 1680 (known as "Newton's comet") was none other than the yet-undiscovered asteroid Eros. Fortuitously, in 1680 Eros made a close approach to Earth shortly before the appearance of Halley's comet in another area of the sky; the celestial positions of the two sightings (believed to be of the same object) were such that Newton concluded that its orbit must be cigar-shaped... (see Chapter 30)

39 • The 'chaotic' periodicity of Halley's comet. According to current theory, Halley's comet has a most "chaotic" behavior: for some unfathomable reasons, the famous comet would sometimes return in only 73 years - and in other epochs in as many as 79 years! The TYCHOS demonstrates instead that Halley's comet has a quite regular period of about 75.6 years - and the Tychosium 3D simulator illustrates just why the comet's orbital motions have befuddled and deluded astronomers for centuries on end. The extensive evidence presented in Chapter 30 with regards to Halley's comet should make this book's most skeptical readers reconsider their 'cosmo-logical' beliefs - however consolidated they may be. (see Chapter 30)

40 • Why we can't feel the Earth's rotation and orbital speed. The orthodox explanation as to why we cannot sense the Earth's axial rotation is quite correct: we don't feel it because Earth rotates at a constant & invariable speed. What's more, its rate of rotation is a mere 0.0007 rpm - hardly something that our bodies might possibly "detect" as a centrifugal force. On the other hand, the claim that Earth would be hurtling around the Sun at the breakneck speed of 107226 km/h (i.e. Mach 90!) has no scientific nor experimental foundation whatsoever. In the TYCHOS model, of course, the Earth's orbital velocity is a tranquil, "snail-paced" 1.6 km/h (or just about 1 mph) - again, nothing that we could possibly "feel" in any physical way.

41 • “Dark matter” and “dark energy” are entirely spurious concepts. It is an undeniable fact that current astrophysical theories are stuck in an intractable crisis, spawned by the idea that the stars are formidably distant. Modern observations of our surrounding ‘galaxies’ (more likely particularly large and densely-populated binary systems) have shown that the orbital velocities of their various components would be formidably—and quite abnormally—fast; that is, as viewed under the ‘sacred Newtonian and Einsteinian laws’. Since the latter would require much more mass to justify these humongous velocities, astrophysicists have come up with the idea that some sort of invisible “dark matter” (that somehow only affects those distant galaxies yet not our own) is responsible for these ‘inexplicable’ orbital velocities. In the TYCHOS model, of course, the stars are 42633 times closer than currently believed. Hence, the orbital velocities observed in distant ‘galaxies’ (as interpreted by heliocentric astronomers) are grossly inflated.

In conclusion, all of the above-listed astronomical puzzles and quandaries find sensible and forthright answers when assessed within the TYCHOS paradigm and its proposed 1.6 km/h motion of Earth around its PVP orbit. In light of this, the TYCHOS model stands on solid ground, whereas the Copernican / heliocentric theory emerges, all things considered, as an utterly untenable theory. It is often (and justly) said that a scientific theory cannot be definitively proven as long as it can be falsified. I will therefore invite our world’s scientific community to try and disprove the TYCHOS model’s tenets while observing the highest degree of intellectual honesty with regards to my interpretation of the vast volume of observations gathered by our world’s astronomers throughout the centuries. I believe to have duly observed an objective and respectful approach to their rigorous and indefatigable efforts; it would therefore seem fair that the contents of this book be granted similar manners of careful appraisal and scientific inquiry.