Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1842-05-05
THE EYE.


| tons or waves OF different sizes--those oil
red are 10000 in an inch, those Of the
violet go, 900 in the same space.
THE SUN.
This stupendous orb is one hundred
millions Of miles from our earth; and his
diameter is eSs thousand miles.
The suns mean density is that of wa.
ter. An ordinary sized horse would
weigh Ia tons; and man could not exist
on his surface.
The sun is surrounded by a luminous
atmosphere the spots are rents IN this,
through which we see his Opaque body.
Fourier discovered that solar light must
be similar to the nature Of that emitted by
gaseous combustion.
THE PLANETS.
Mercury is 40 millions of miles from
the sun diurnal motion is "a hours /; has
an atmosphere, and is capable Of support.
ing living beings.
Venus presents the same. features.
Mars is seen TO have land and water on
bis surface also ar atmosphere; and po-
lar snow shows that his is inclined at tie
same angle as that Of our Earth, giving
him the same seasons.
HALLEY'S COMET
Was frs. observed in 1859. Its path
is an eccentric ellipse, going 10000 mil
lions Of miles from the sun. Its revolu-
tons occur every 10 years.
THE EARTH.
The Earth is an obate spheroi1 its
diameter 5000 miles, and its distance
from the sun is 100 millions of miles,
Cavendish found its density TO be 90 times
greater than that of water. Its dlurnol
motion is IN % hours and So minutes,
and It's orbicular motion 365 days.
THE AIR.
Air is the medium of light, heat and
sound. 1t supports life and combustion
it has faint blue color. The atmosphere
is about so miles high, and presses on sur.
faces at the level OF the sea with weight
of Ia pounds on every square inch.
DEW
Is the deposition OF water on the cooler
surface Of planets, &C., which was sus.
pended by warmth in the state oil invisible
vapor. Some surfaces cool more readily
than others, from more free radiation.-
And clear nights cause dew, whilst cloudy
nights are those in which dew is very
sparingly deposited.
THE LAWS OF KErLER
LIST. The Ear,h's orbit is an ellIpse.--
Cd. Equal areas in equal times. Sd. The
squares of the periodic times being IN pro-
portion to the cubes Of the distances.
The SUPERIOR PLANETS.
Jupiter is 1900 times larger than our
Earth, and is five times more distant from
the Sun. He receives twenty five times
less light, and has four Moons. His ro-
talon is every ten hours-gving HIM FIVE
hours day and five hours night. His AK.
is is vertical, and his belts nothing but
clouds, so formed by his rapid diurnal ve-
locity.
Saturn is a thousand millions OF miles
from the Sun. Rotary motion, same as
Jupiter's. Has seven moons and two
rings; these revolve round him in the
same plane as would be traversed by a
Satellite al the same distance.
Comets move in every direction through
the Solar system; their substance IS light.
err than the lightest cloud or gas. Her.
schell saw faint, small stars through Bic.
las comet. Arsgo calculates that no fewer
than seven millions of comets are whlrllng
about in the Solar system. The Moon
naay have been comet. Our Earth has
probably been struck by one, and it is not
impossible for us 10 be carried away by a
comet.
THE STARS.
The stars are so distant, that four thou
sand millions of miles make no perceptble
difference. The nearest fixed star must
be more than 10000, 600, 600, 900 miles.
Ligh, requires 8 years to travel from 1t
TO the earth.
Herschell discovered double stars, and
that they obey the laws Of gravtation.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Made the grand discovery OF the ideh-
tity of lightning and electricity, in June,
1852. lie discovered, also, induction,
and the positive state of the atmosphere.
His theory of electricity was believed for
half century.
STEAM POWER.
Water at 212 degrees, begins to rise
into steam. 4 single cubic inch of water
will form Is cubic inches of steam, with
a pressure of Is lbs. on the square inch.
Steam, at this pressure, contains 100 de-
degrees of heat in latent state.
The first steam engine was the one call
ed the Atmospheric Engine, invented by
Savary and Newcomer. This was i'm
proved by Watt, who closed the boiler
and thus caused the steam to act ADORE
and below the piston. He invented the
parallel motion and the governor.
THE PERMANENT
Sir William Herschell has discovered
that the innumerable patches of Nebula
visible in far space are but masses OF stars
and each OF which is a SUN and that thu
stars OF large magnitude seen with on
naked eye, are but portions of the peculia
nebula of which our sun is the centre.
Stars are divided into 10 magnitudes
Of which can be observed by the make
eye. The milky way consists Of those q
the 10th magnitude.
MARINE STEAM POWER.
Fulton made the first trial Of this pow
cr, on the river Hudson. The Brltls