The Nevada Democrat., 1860-03-21
The Planet Jupiter.


To the naked eye the planet appears with q
diameter about oae fortieth that Of the lunar
disc so that telescope magRifying forty times
will present it in the field Of view about as
large as the full moon. A maenifying power
Of four or i've is sufficient to raise sensible
disc. With power OF thirty the most promi-
nent belts and oval form are visible though
to make ent the fainter lines which girdle the
sphere requires power Of two or three hun
dred, besides favorable atmosphere. In such
glass the planet presents q series Of brownish
gray streaks, reminding one Of stratus clouds
which often lie along the horizon in the morn
ing and evening. or these streaks whose gen.
eral direction is parallel to the plauet's equa-
tor, there are two more conspicuous than the
rest, on either side Of the equator, being sepa-
rated by bright yellow zone. These princi-
pal bells are generally found 10 extend all
around the globe as they ecntinue visible dur
ing the entire axial rotation. Toward the poles
other parallel lines are visible, closer together.
till they finally coalesce near the north aud
south points.
These remarkable appearances are supposed
to be the effect Of prevailing winds, aud an at
mosphere so loaded with clouds as almost en-
tirely to cover the face Of the planet from our
view. Their permanence Of form, position and
arrangement are very striking, Indicating o
changes are apparent, progressing slowly, COM
pletely altering the face of the planet In the
course of a few months The peculiar distribu-
tion of the belts Is probably due to winds blow
ing like our trades, constantly in q direction
parallel TO the equator, and having far greater
steadiuess and intensity than those which blow
in the equatorial regions Of the earth, from the
fact that the diurnal motion is vastly more rap
id.
A subject fact of even greater interest to the
astronomer than these remarkable bands Is the
system of four satellites which the telescope
discloses They we're among the pioneer dis
ooveries of Calico with the first telescope ever
directed to the heavens He at first took them
for fixed stars, but he soon corrected bis error
by discovering that they revolved around the
planet, in periods respectively ofone and three
fourths, three and half, seven and sixteen
days. This rapidity of revelation is very re-
markable. and must present 10 the inhabitant
Of Jupiter. If such there be, nocturnal scene
of the greatest beauty and vivacity--one moon
going through its round u phases in four Jovi-
an days, a second in eight and half, third
in seventeen, and fourth In forty. In size,
as they appear from the surface of the planet,
the nearest will have disc not much different
from that Of our moon, and the others smaller.
In consequence Of remarkable law, accord.
ing to which the three first satellites sustain to
each other well known physical relation,
these can never all he absent from the 6rma-
ment of the planet at tho same time. ner be in
the same place. Thus the Jovals will often see
one moon cleaning in the west just after the
going down of the sun, a silver crescent an
other just risen in the east full rounded disc;
and third occupying an intermediate position
and phase-uniting to form spectacle OF the
most engaging beauty. From the fact that the
three first satellites lie nearly ia the plane of
the planets equator, and the fact that the plan
ets orbit nearly conincides with the plane of
the elliptic, a singular result ensues the three
are eclpsed to the inhabitant Of Jupiter at ev-
cry revolution. and eclipse the sun nearly as
often, making many thousand eclipses in the
course Of Jovian year.