Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-03-10
ICONCLCDED.

II there are any planets which, ac-
curding To the ncbular hypothesis,
should still bc in n molten condition
unfit for the orIgination of organic
lite, those planets are Jupiter and Sa-
turn. Observation confirms this in
ference In the first place, while Jup-
tier IL I, go times and Saturn 700 times
~ large as the Earth, Jupiter outweiShs
the Earth only DIS times, and Saturn
only about 80 times. 1t follows that
the substance of Jupiter is four times,
aud that of Saturn seven times, less
dense than the substance of the earth;
these planets arc respectively four and
seven times larger than they would he
had they arrived at the same stage of
consolidation as the Earth. Such cX-
pansinn implies the retention of "a vast
amount Ct heat. Secondly, the ire
mendOus atmospheric disturbances OBJ
served upon both planets are such as
cannot well be explained by the COM
ImrAiiVely sluggish action of the suns
heat upon those distant Orbs. The at
mospliere OF Jul tier is laden with
masses of cloud, whether composed of
water or net, whose cubic contents far
exceed those of ali the oceans on the
Earth. The trade-winds, due To the
swift rotation of the planet. gather
these enormous masses in To belts paral-
lei with The Jovial equator. Storms
aud typhoOns are constantly raging In
thir vapOr-laden atmosphere; and the
forces at work there are so stupendous
that dense cioud-belts, thousands of
miles In width, are often formed in
single hour. This state of things is
not like that which is witnessed upon
the Earth's surface; II IL like the state
Of things observed upon the sun, where
tornadocs continually occur, in one of
which the Earth, if il were there.
would be whirled along like leaf in
an equinoctial gale. A similar state OF
things must have existed, in minia-
ture. upon our own planet in that
primitive age when its oceans were in
large part held suspended in the dense
secthing atmosphere. and when the i'm
tense volcanic fires within kept the
surface in ccaseless agitation. In Sa-
turn the same phenomena are wit
nes~ed. The appearance called the
Observation-Disclosures figure" OF Saturn.
firSt observed 10y Sir w. Herschel, in
1895, points to the conclusion that the
giant bulk of the planet lis subject To
throes of so tremendous a nature a. tn
upheave whole zones of his surface five
or six hundred miles above their Ordi-
nary level" Whether this be reall y
the case, or whether, as is more likely,
the prominenccs which give the square
Kh0uldered aspect are due TO the SHOW
ing up of immense masses of cloud far
above the mean layer OF Saturn's cloud
envelope, We must equally recognize
the presence Of intense heat and fur
Gus volcanic action i'm the interior of
that planet. When we add that recent
calculations have made IL almost GER
tain that both Jupiter and Saturn are
self-luninous. IL becomes probable that
these great planets still resemble their
parent, the sun, more closely than they
rcsc mble their younger aud smaller
brethren. Their fierce heat, and the
terrible commissions To which they ART
subject. must render them wholly unfit
for the support of organic life. But
though not themselves inhabitabls
worlds, they may well play the part %