New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-05-12

and value OF this paper attracted the undiv;A.,
attention Of the audience. The demonst,,,,..N
Of the distinguished Professor are csriou. ,,s
msrkable. The following abstract enbodi.a
leading ideas.
III ~ tSxlsS,is pSfscs ANs Ring.
memoir upon this subject by NJ tieo,S.p
Bond was read TO the American ACADEMY z.
and Sciences. upon the 18th April ara y. ATs
occasion of the present investigates S ms
Mr.. Bonds paper IL still unpublished 49,. ynnce
obliged 70 make constant reference 10 I, 80 %
recapitu ate some parts OF e. in orda, o.. S'eU
proper relation OF the two paths Of re,a.,ss 'ns
be correctly Understood. y
l. The author of the Meosnique Cele.t. 49,,
that Saturns Ring regarded solid. xo5,S 80
be sustained about the primary. unless il hal a..
cided Irregularities in its structure. ButthssS
servations Of Herschel and others have f.psa.
detect any indications OF such irregularity ara
laborious series OF obserV stious have finally -
vinced Mr. Bond ofthe utter improbabili,y Of 49,.
important irregularities, and he has tkersL,s
adopted the conclusion that Saturn Riaytt. 49,
solid but fuId Mr.. Bonds argument /. eb;.s-
derived from observation. whereas a new inv..
tigation Of the mechanical conditions of the n,n-
blem has led me one step further. | am now AZ.
WINGED that there is no conceivable form Of ry,s~.
larRy and no combination 81 HreguI,B isies co,.
siStent cith an actual ring. arhtch ,coRd rsrautk.
ring 10 be permanently mdtHtdiEed By tie prtnayv
# Il rere soid. Hence II follows, Undergraduate
Of observation, that Saturns Ring Is no, soHa =
And now il 10 worthy Of remark that II We ADOPT
as the basis of calculation, the msss OF the uis
which WAS determined by Be'sel, the thickass
from Bond and the other dimensions from SgrNe
we shall find the density 20 be about enc io1Hs
more than water. So that she ring consists Of
stream, or of streams OF alald rather denser thso
water Tossing around the primary.
NJ ma nf,fa FYNk q - n ~ 4.
genious and novel computations in order % deter.
mine from theoretical considerations alone VIE
Their the ring was one or many, and arrived AZ the
remarkable result that HeuAer Of tteS RypOtassss
rGs teRable. He 10. therefore. disposed 90 recon.
Gle the dlscre pancies OF observation Ia ths 70.
spect by supposng the constitution OF the ring 10
he variable and that, although the principal dlvi.
sion, which has been always observed, is perma.
nent, the other divisions are constantly Ggaika,-
ed by the mutual concessions Of the rings aRf
again reproduced by SOWe process chich he DOES
not undertake to dcfHe THIS bold theory is fuly
sustained by my own anay teal investigations,
and not only do my researches exhibit the pos.i-
bility of this strange phenomenon, but they even
show the precise mode of action and how il must
be the care Of nature II the ring had been origin
ally one, il would soon have subdivided itself AZ
definite points, which can be exactly computed,
into portions OF a determnate width The dis
turbng causes must, however drive these separate
must then follow an interchange and crossing Of
currents a mutual retsrdaton, momentary state
of equilibrium as one ring, and then another
breaking up, when the same process would be re-
peated in endless succession.
g. But even a fluid ring would not be perms
nenty retained by the direct action OF the pumi-
~. For whatever may be It's figure, the velocity
of its current must be slower AZ the points which
are more remote from the planet so that there
must be an accumulation of tuld at these points.
An exact analysis shows that the accumulation
precisely balances the greater distance and hence
the ring is attracted equally in every direction.
The regulating action upon the motion OF the Gen.
ter of gravity u.s. therefore, cancelled and is must
continue to move uniformly in any direction Ia
which il may have been started by foreign In.
fluence. Ii must move on until It s destroyed
by striking the surface OF the planet How has
6aturns ring escaped this catastrophe Simply
because the disturbing forces have counteracted
their own effects. The satellites are constantly
disturbing the ring; but, In the very act oil per-
turbation, they are sustaining It IN lts place.
Their sustaining action 10 not negative, out posi-
tive, and without satellites there could DO no
ring. The theory of this curiously sustaining
power may be varoUsly illustrated. In the first
place each particle OF the ring nay be regarded ss
a satellite, which the other satellites disturb IN the
usual way. Thus the mean distance from Saturn
is not varied in the least, aud the disturbance OF
the eceentricity can only reach certain definite
limits, after attaining which It must diminish.
Secondly, in consequence OF the attraction OF iw
satellites Saturn describes an orbit about the
common center OF gravity Of the system each
particle Of the planet tends to move In this sama
orbit. The center OF gravity OF the ring must,
likewise tend TO describe nearly this same orots
and its orbit would be precisely the same II the
attraction OF the ring tor the satellites were the
same as if its mass were accumulated at It's cen
ter Of gravity. But the deviation may BIO SAFELY
M cd nd IN ha rlasa n DePiO0icn
perturbatioDs.
4. 1t follows then, that planet can hayet
ring, unless it is surround ed by sufficient number
Of properly arranged satellites. Saturn seems 20
be the only planet, which is in this category aaf
il is the only one, therefore, which could sustain
q ring. Our Sun, also, does not appear to have
its satellites properly disposed for supporrngs
ring and the only part of the system where such
phenomenon might have been reasonably ei'
pected is Just within the powerful mass OF JaP''
ter But had there been a ring at this part ina
system, it must have been subject TO such extra
ordinary perturbatons, that 1t would In the course
Of time have been vibrated up against the next
interior planet, Mars and, in this way, have been
broken into the asteroids. The orbits OF planets
formed under such circumstances would have
been naturally characterized by great eccenHi-
city.
3. But suppose that, from any cause Whatever
the Sun had, at some period. been surrounded ~
llghs ring comparable IN leVlty 20 tho LOois
light and in order 10 escape the planetary lnha-
ences, we may suppose the plane OF the ring
have had large inclination TO the ecliptc. Ino
result would have been that the center Of gravity
Of the ring would have soon begun 70 move 10
some direction or other and have continued NOV
ing until it was brought sganst the surface OF me
Hun But during this motion, and In consequeDes
Of the solar action, the matter OF the ring woaa
have accumulated at the most remote part
that if the Gan were q mere point, it would hs's
happened that at the very instant OF its expected
meeting with the ring, the whole ring would hfys
escaped from the point OF compact. The exPen'
ment of Tantalus would have been performed on
grand scale, and the ring would have been 70.
simultaneously transformed into a comet ID I'D
aphelion.
.. II, however, the ring were supposed 70 DC
larRe Paaeoua mAsA OF a circular fRure, the cOn-