Things at Rest in the Universe

Abstract

Is there anything in the universe that is at rest, around which or within which the rest of the universe is constructed, or is there no hold in the unending chain of motions in which everything seems to be caught up? It is worth considering the extent to which these questions are justified and how they can be answered. On a clear evening a few weeks ago, many people claimed to have observed how the Moon rushed across the sky with most unusual speed. On that evening a light veil of mist seems to have been blown past the Moon by the wind, more subtly creating the same illusion one believes one observes every time broken clouds move quickly past it: one assumes that the clouds stand still and that the Moon rushes through them against the wind.