Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1854-07-30
Are the Stars Inhabited?

1t IS a positive and not very creditable fact to
many men of scientific ability and reputation, that
they devote more time to controversy and specula-
tion on subjects of no practical benefit whatever,
and respecting which they never can arrive at any
correct conclusions, than to subjects of real utility
in which every person has an interest. In no in
stance has this been clearly manifested in the
controversies respecting the question embraced in
the above caption. A short time since, book by
an anonymous author, published in London,
(since republished by Gould & Lincoln, of Boston,
entitled " The Plurality of Worlds" in which it is
assumed that our earth solitary and alone of all
the starry host, is in all probability, the only
planet that is inhabited. The author displays
much learning and fine Imagination, but so far
the questian is scientific one, it appears to US
that it really makes no matter what the opinion of
one or ten thousand men may be, as it can neither
be settled by argument nor science, in its present
state. If we possessed telescopes of sufficient
power to survey the surface Of any of the planets
the same as We can that Of our own, and whereby
we can observe objects of life moving uneonstrain-
ed at distances far beyond the scope of common
vision, then no argument would be required to
prove disprove the question of the planets being
inhabited, any more than it requires controversy
to prove that drop water teens with life, when
examining it with miscrOscope. And since we
have not instruments to accomplish this, the best
thing for astronomers and opticians to do in the
premises, instead of quarreling upon the subject,
is to endeavor to construct such instruments as
will settle the question beyond the shadow of
o1,-;oo
David Brewster, that eminent philosopher who has
Just replied to the author Of the work in question:
in keen and cutting article in the last number Of
the North British Review" The author of
"The Plurality of Worlds" concludes that the
planet Jupiter is nothing better than huge, pasty
mass of mud and water, on which no inhabitants
can dwell Sir David Brewster considers, that al
though the gravity of Jupiter, in proportion to
its size is no greater than that of an equal volame
of water, yet it may be hollow, and its surface as
inhabitable as our own globe. Ifthere are nhabi-
tants in Jupiter the anonymous author concludes,
that according to its the men are required to
be l649 lbs weight each, while according to the
reviewer who takes the radius of Jupiter not Its
mass as his line of measurement, they are not re-
ouired TO be over two and three-quarter times as
heavy as the men of our mother earth. This ques-
ton could be far better determined were we inform
ed of the particular food of Jupiter's sons, and
the abundance or scantiness of its supply, whether
it was bread and beef or tea and toast, as we find
that these things have wonderful effect on the
gravity of both aldermen and the common citizens
on our little planet.
| Herschel has suggested that the sun may be in
| babted that between its luminous atmosphere and
| its surface there may he interposed screen of
! Clouds whereby its inhabitants may no more suf-
fer from intense heat, than those who live in our
tropical regions. This may be so, as we all know
| how much the heat of the sun rays, in the hot
test DAYS of summer, are modified by an interpos-
ing cloud, or "a swift passing breeze" We also
know that on the extensive table lands Of high
mountains in the tropics, the glacier and ice-feld
reign supreme as in the artic regions and all this
although they are nearer the than the adjacent
burning plains The depth Of the atmosphere
and its pressure upon the surface Of the earth af
fpcts its Temperament much as its relative dis
tance from the sum- and thus it is that many simple
ouestions must enter into the calculation, to de-
termine by reasoning the complex question of the
probability of the stars being inhabited. We be
love that neither the snn nor the moon is inhabit
ed The moon has been found to be destitute o.
atmosphere consequently no living thing can dwell
there at least none possessing the same functions
necessary to life as the Oxygenbreathing creature
of the earth As the sun has not an atmosphere
like ours. we also conclude that there are no IN
, babitants there. These two orbs appear to per
form-aecordng to scence-no other duties 'haI
those described in the first chapter OF Genesis e
the sun and the moon be in the armament, TO div
de the day and the night, to be for times and seq
i, sons days and years, and to give light upon tn
earth"
1t is our belief that some of the planets, an
i thousands of other heavenly bodies, in oth'