New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-12-28

planet about which thy are placed then the equi-
librium is ore Of INSTABILITY and with the slightest
cause that comes IN o oersuge the - stem such
ceTangemeut vii 20 OnIucreaslng Itself and the
center Of gravity o. the ing vii commence moving
in a spiral Inc about tie central planet. the ring
approaching closer aid t0ser % that body til final
ly i IS precipitafeh upu tne planet and the whole
structure is destroyed On our examination Of the
riDg ind Il 10 be cfcaie- ard IN the early ex-
animation II was BELIEVED t1at the center u gravl-
Is was coincitent with ne center Of the figure of
the ring and moreover hat the center OF gravity
Of the hyure cOnciied With toe center Of the planet
This being supposed 10 b. tee fact Il seemed I'M
possible that this stem should be perpetual, in
case there was found IN ts satellites vhich revolve
upon the exterior d'Gnrtigg influence sufficient
70 draw this cents- slighy away and thus begin
that very kind Of motion which must end in hnal
destruction. Il sgas not f after La Place gave bis
mighty intellect 70 the solution o. this probla that
the truth was discovered. Re found thst tie sta
bility could not be glarateed m any other way
than b. making ID. ring ueq1AIy thick n differ
ent parts. or a. least OF CheFent specinc gravity
This was not al 10 was necessary % move the
center Of gravity from thecenter Of gravity OF the
planet and cause . 20 revve about that center IN
a minute orbit. Yet howser strange TINS might
appear 10 seemed az II SIgrn was TOO remote Tor
tue Telescope ever 10 verify the principle OF ms
extraordinary statement But y happens, ioft1-
na,ely for US that 10 the POSITION which We occupy
are occupying position such that the eye IS SIT
uated ia the plane OF the ring and We see them
edgewise AID when We view them n the hrst
place they exhibit the appearances OF ire Of light
drawn across the diameter OF the plane passing
through this center Now in the disappearance OF
the ring by It's taking up tins position, we afe ena-
bled 70 examine with the utmost possible accuracy
and il has been found that the two extremiiiss do
not disappear at the same time and that there are
INEQUALITIES upon their surface which nre well
marked and drhned-the very thing precisely hat
La Place predicted would be the case provided an
instrument should be found OF sufficient power 10
discover them to the eye
But this was not all The most delicate micn
metrcal apparatuses were constructed, and VIA
these-whch were capable OF measuring me most
minute distauces-the spaces between the plane
and the ring. upon the nght AID left, were deter
mined and il was discovered that these spaces
were unequal not Only unequal but variable ana
not only variable bat changing according 70 Ger.
tain law. Thus u was shown conclusNely ana
absolutely that the center OF The planet DID not
occupy the center of the ring thus bringing IN me
other condition requisite Tor stability and fastening
the whole system permanently in Space.
Now now could these riggs have been formed
IL II possible that they were attached 10 the planet
after il commenced its journey In Space IL seems
impossible Tor us 10 conceive how this might be
ACCOMPLISHED hence some philosophers have
ADOPTED Tue 4uth Ailhl AlNg tiS 40 A-4~N - VIZ
time with the Planet aud by the action OF tl3
same law: and In all probability the celebrated Nee-
ular Theory Of the formation Of the Universe Dc
rived more support from the exhibition OF saturns
system, than from al other causes combined. i
was supposed that in the beginning OF all things The
matter which now forms the Sun and planets and
satellites. was difused throughout all space or II
not throughout all Space at least % vast distance
from the place which the san now occupies ana
that this incohste matter Was divided and It's parti-
cles held asunder by the repulsive power belong
ing 10 IT, La Place colceiyes that m process oil
time-undef the Ictiol Of Grayity-ihe mass OF
particles commence movement toward center
AMI in coming iron positions dramatically opposite
they pass each other, and thus rotation Is COM
meuced about an axis When millions OF years
shall nave rolled away, aud when this mighty sea
of crude matter shall have been slowly impreg'
mated with gravity and consequently with motto ~;
Il will contract, and il contracts IT'S velocity OF
rotation must increase. till finally the centrifugal
fOrce generated 81 the edustOr II the REMOVING
mass oyercOmes the force oil gravity, and Has
po,tion is detached from it in the form OF ring
When this has been once lOosened ana detacneo
inter millions OF years shall have rolled round we
fad the central mass contracting and leaving thls
ring in Space; revolving with the velocity que :.
the revolving mass at the time It was detached
Now then in the process OF the formation Of the
ulapet tnis ring may by possibility break up and
coalesce iato one mass The same cause winch
operated ia the outset 20 detach the ring from the
mass will In the second Instance detach rom lts
equator other masses which may form sateites
or these BIZ possibility may even remain and be
come solid in the form in which they were first
thrown of If we admit this wonderful and strange
theory we can understand how It wss that tue
mysterious system Of Saturn existed, and how the
conditions OF stability were such as they now are
and how it s that this body moves on century atei
century, without any change-witn the siaohity
4 ..~.. f -
do not pretend that this is the mannar IN winch
this system was formed | do not know cannot
fathonl-any such mysterious problem but one
thing however DO know, and that is THIS lnh'
II by the application OF the higher powers oil analy
sis this most extraordinary theory IS demonstrated
10 be true Il carries the mind higher and nearer q
the great Source of all Thugs than any other winch
the human intellect has ever devised IL gives q
more comprehensive idea OF the omnlscience and
omnipotence OF God than any other theory OF "nicn
| have any conception for here with matter IN
chaotic form and scattered throughout all space
having been brought into existence cy Toe hSt o.
His will by the action OF one solitary law Tue III
verse-as boundes ga himseli-ls upne4u ehu
sustained forever.
We pass on from the examination oil this suo
ect TO another. If in tue Planet Saturn 1t seems
as if the analogy by which the system IS governed
has been broken we shall find in the next pianel
which revoyes upon the exterior OF thls SUI
more strange anomaly. For long time tnere
were certain difficulties with regard to the move
ments Of Saturn. which seemed to perplex pnloso
piers 1t was getting OPT OF is computed place
and the most extraordinary difference was seen ~
the movements OF Jupiter when compared wito
those OF Saturn IL found that during the whole
Of the Seventeenth Century one OF these planets
was perpetcsly getting behind its computed place
while the other was getting IN advance. IL seemed
that the two were moving IN some way IN whicl
one dependent upon the other and II vas nj xi
70 impossible to discover how Il was TO be made
out Fnslly the problem was taken up oy La
Place, snd solved and the explanation IS perhaps
As curious as any which has ever be0n presented
for the examination Of the human mind. W %
would suppose that the stability OF - stem de
pends in any degree upon the relation existing be
tween the periodic time OF the planets Yet this
is the fact.
Wefnd that il case the periodic times Of any TWO
planets should happen TO be ia such relation tc
each other, that one OF them taken certain mum
her of times should be equal to the other taken
certain number Of times different from the first
then Irregularities would be Introduced in the Sys
ten. which would 20 on always increasing Ia the
same direction aud the equilibrium would be that
of instability Now It happens IN the periodic
times Of Jupiter and Saturn there IS close prox
unity 10 such relation,-tve periods Of Jupiter
being about sixty years, and two periods OF Saturn