John Michell and Black Holes

See Hawking S. W. and Ellis G. F. R. , The large scale structure of space-time (Cambridge, 1973), 365–8.

Laplace P. S. , Exposition du système du monde (Paris, 1796), ii, 305, and in Allgemeine geographische Ephemeriden (1799).

Michell's paper is “On the Means of discovering the Distance, Magnitude, &c. of the Fixed Stars, in consequence of the Diminution of the velocity of their Light, in case such a Diminution should be found to take place in any of them, and such Data should be procured from Observations, as would be farther necessary for that Purpose”, Philosophical transactions, lxxiv (1784), 35–57, read 27 November 1783. See Hardin C. L. , “The Scientific Work of John Michell”, Annals of science, xxii (1966), 27–47 and McCormmach R. , “John Michell and Henry Cavendish: Weighing the Stars”, British journal for the history of science, iv (1968–69), 126–55.

Priestley J. , The history and present state of discoveries relating to vision, light and colour (London, 1772), 387–90 and 787–91. There was considerable discussion of the wasting away of the Sun by the loss of light: Priestley used Michell's work to show that this loss was less than two grains per day.

Michell , op. cit., 42.

Michell , op. cit., 50.

McCormmach , “John Michell and Henry Cavendish”, 148, quoting letters from Cavendish to Michell, 12 August 1783 and from Michell to Cavendish, 20 April 1784. For Michell's relations with Herschel see Lubbock C. A. , The Herschel chronicle (Cambridge, 1933), 91.

Herschel William , “On Nebulous Stars, properly so called”, Philosophical transactions, lxxxi (1791), 71–88, p. 88.