Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-04-23
ARTICLES on ASTRONOMY.
No. 5-Saturn.


This planet furnishes g world OF
wonders in itself. Before the days OF
Galileo and his telescope, Saturn at
tracted no particular attention except
for his slow motion among the stars.
One OF his years equals about %! OF
oars. His apparent size varies greatly
on account of our being nearly ls4, :
O00, 900 miles nearer to the planet in
one part Of the year than we are six
months earlier or later. For this year
the date of greatest distance was Jan
uary u, and the nearest approach will
be July q, when Saturn will rise as
the sun sets. On the 2lst of March
his time Of rising was about four hours
before the sun. None but the early
risers can see Saturn during the
spring. Those who seek these morn
ing views will have the pleasure of
seeing = planet 667i the earth in size.
and S7l 900, 600 miles from the sum- e.
To travel this distance at the rate OF
sixty miles per hour would require
more than ], $50 years. The suns light
and heat at that distance is only about
1-90th as strong as the same forces on
the earth. Saturn has 8 daily revolu-
tion in 10 hours and % minutes, on
an axis so little inclined that its days
and nights are nearly of the same
length, and from equator to poles the
days and the seasons are alike, change
less. The nights are illuminated by
eight moons, one of which is nearly
as large as Mars, and all of them OF
respectable size, The one nearest the
planet is about the distance of our
moon from us, and moves with such
velocity as To carry it through all its
phases IN 22a hours, while the most
distant satellite requires over 20 days
to complete its course. Within the
orbits Of these moons are three broad,
thin rings, separated from each other
by spaces not far from I 800 miles, and
the inner edge is, 5000 miles from the
planet. The shadows of these rings
sometimes fal upon the planet, and
their broad faces inclined toward the
sun reflect his rays strongly upon the
polar regions. To the astronomer
there can be no more entertaining
theme than this wonderful system
The rings are distinctly seen through
q telescope of moderate size, but the
largest and best instruments are re-
quired TO discover the satellites. These
rings have been the source of numer-
Gus sBeculatiOns. Earlier discoveries
deemed them cloud-like or nebulous
matter. More recent theorists regard
them made up of minute bodies In
very rapid revolution around the
planet, and liable TO consolidate and
form an additional outfit of moons for
the primary. The rapin revolution OF
Saturn throws the lighter materials
in its atmosphere into currents like
those on Jupiter. Dark, cloudy bands
parallel to its equator are distinctly
visible. To US, with our solitary Luz
ma, Saturn, with her broad rings and
eight bright "queens of night, seems
truly a world of wonders, an enyiable
abode. Let US not judge our blessings
too lightly. The Creator has given
US a milder climate, y clearer sky, and
q standpoint from which the central
sun and all the starry hosts are bright
er far than through the rushing logs
and bedazZling cross lights OF Sat
urnalian sky. "A -.
Allegheny College, April, 1873. M.