What is Meteorology?
Table of Contents
Our predecessors called meteorology the inquiry with events that are natural.
They take place in the region nearest to the motion of the stars.
Such are the milky way, and comets, and the movements of meteors.
It studies also all the affections we may call common to air and water, and the kinds and parts of the earth and the affections of its parts.
These throw light on the causes of winds and earthquakes and all the consequences the motions of these kinds and parts involve.
Of these things some puzzle us, while others admit of explanation in some degree. Further, the inquiry is concerned with the falling of thunderbolts and with whirlwinds and fire-winds, and further, the recurrent affections produced in these same bodies by concretion.
When the inquiry into these matters is concluded let us consider what account we can give, in accordance with the method we have followed, of animals and plants, both generally and in detail.
When that has been done we may say that the whole of our original undertaking will have been carried out.
After this introduction let us begin by discussing our immediate subject.
Part 2:
One physical element makes up the system of the bodies that move in a circle.
Besides this, 4 bodies of fire, air, water, earth owe their existence to the 4 principles.
The motion of these latter bodies are of 2 kinds:
- From the centre
- To the centre
Fire occupies the highest place.
Earth the lowest.
The 2 elements correspond to these in their relation to one another.
Air is nearest to fire, water is nearest to earth.
The whole world surrounds the earth.
The affections of this are our subject.
This world necessarily has a certain continuity with the upper motions.
Consequently all its power and order is derived from them.
For the originating principle of all motion is the first cause.
Besides, that clement is eternal and its motion has no limit in space, but is always complete.
Whereas all these other bodies have separate regions which limit one another.
So we must treat fire and earth and the elements like them as the material causes of the events in this world (meaning by material what is subject and is affected) but must assign causality in the sense of the originating principle of motion to the influence of the eternally moving bodies.