[ 65 the star. Technically speaking, they ought to have an annual parallax." Chandrasekhara is equally superstitious with Tycho, 2 staunch Hindu to the backbone. How can he disbelieve the S'ástras ? And, besides, the stars do not shift their places according to the seasons of the year." * The parallel drawn between Tycho and Chandrasekhara is close so far. But it fails when we remember that Tycho had the benefit of a university education, of the patronage of kings, and what is more important, that he had instruments as deli- cate as he could desire. Chandrasekhara has spent his life among his native hills, bus seldom boon five miles away from his little village, and did not receive any encouragement from anybody in respect of his work. Tycho had the friendship of Frederick II. of Denmark who gave him an estate in Norway, "a pension of £450 a year for life, a site for a large observatory, and £20,000 to build it with," and philosophers and statesmen and kings came to visit his observatory and dined at his table. And what did our Indian Tycho receive He met with sneers from his equals in position, because he shook off the aristocratic prejudice against star-gazers and fortune tellers, He had no one to encourage him in his pursuit, and no notice was MP3 • Many of his arguments are directed against a misconception of the Der theory. For instance, ho argues that if the earth be rolling like a wheel, then it ought to move 'only 12000 Kroka per day; for that is the length of the sarth's circumference. But you say, its daily motion is 800000 Kroka. A stone whirled round bag always the same face turned towards as: how can there be an alteration of day and night by the rotation of the earth, and #o on. 192 Digitized by Google
