Comets, teleology and the relationship of chemistry to cosmology in Newton's thought / Sara Schechner Genuth.
Abstract:
In Newton's comet theory, comets served as teleological agents for conserving and reforming the solar system. Comets not only replenished the stars and planets, but they also radically altered the heavenly order on occasion. This paper will examine the chemical philosophy behind these cometary functions, and the traditional comet lore that shaped these functions
Annali dell'Istituto e Museo di storia della scienza di Firenze A. 10, fasc. 2 (1985), p. 31-65