The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1875-09-10
MUSINGS ON SCIENCE AND ART.
NUMBER TWO.
BY o. P. MASON.


Article No. l, by making the SUMS di-
ameter only eighty thousand miles. 1t
should have been, ''over eight hundred
and eighty thousand miles," Accuracy
in figures is not intended. o. P. NJ.
About fifty millions of miles from us,
and about one hundred and forty mill
ions of miles from the sun, and revolv-
ing around him in about six hundred
and eighty-six days, is the planet Mars,
travelling at the rate of about fifty
thousand miles per hour, and revolving
upon his own axis in about the same
time that our earth does. This planet,
according to astrology, has an evil infiu-
ence. When seen through the telescope
he sometimes appears round, and some
times gibbous, and can be seen at any
hour of the night during certain por-
tions of his season; that is, his rising
and setting is not limited to any partic-
ular hour, which is unmistakable evil
dence that his orbit is outside of the
orbit of the earth. By telescope view,
twilight is clearly visible, as well as the
refraction of the rays of light; clouds
have also been seen flying over his sur
face. These phenomena, taken with the
further fact that one of his poles, being
turned toward the earth and sun in his
annual course, first appears white, as if
covered with snow, then darkens in
spots near his equator, as if those SHOWS
were melting away, until all but a
small portion of the hemisphere nearest
to US is black, are unmistakable evil
dences of the existence of atmosphere,
land and water, the three great requi-
sites for sustaining animal life, and
without which neither animal nor veg
etable life could exist. Next to him,
and between his orbit and that of Jupi-
ter, are the asteroids Ceres, Pallas,
Juno, Vesta and several others, evil
IDENTIFY the ruins of shattered world.
They are so small and their distance
from US is so great that they are invisi-
BILE to the naked eye. They may form
subject of themselves to be treated
hereafter.
Then comes Jupiter, planet appear
ing to US large, bright and beautiful,
and when in the part of his orbit near
est our earth he appears fully as large
and as bright as Venus, though he is
distant from US full four hundred mill
ions of miles at the nearest part of his
orbit. Some idea of his magnitude may
be conceived from the fact that he is
fourteen hundred times as large as this
earth. He performs his circuit of about
three thousand millions of miles in foul
thousand three hundred and thirty-twC
days, or nearly twelve years of our time
This immense planet revolves upon his
own axis in a little less than ten hours
and is attended in his periodical course
by four satellites. The first of thes'
performs a circuit around him of mort
than three millions of miles in less thar
forty-two and half hours, and is more
than two hundred and fifty thousand
miles from him. The second, being dis.
tant from him about four hundred
thousand miles, performs the journey
around him in a little more than thret
days. The third is distant full six
hundred thousand miles, and makes hi:
circle in about seven days. The fourth
is distant over one million of miles, anC
gets once around his journey in abou
seventeen days. These moons of course
cannot be seen by US with the naked
eye, but it is a beautiful sight to SCI
them, by the aid of the telescope, whirl
ing round the majestic planet. Eacf
one of these moons appears from thu
surface of Jupiter little larger thar
our moon does to US, while their orbit
and periods are so arranged in the granC
masterwork of nature that they canno
all be on the same side of him at on
and the same time. Hence there cal
be no dark nights upon this planet
for there is no spot upon his i'm
mense surface that is not lightened b!
the silvery light of one of these moons
/ The inclination of the axis of this plane
to the plane of its orbit is not quite 81
great as that of the earth; hence his sea
sons are not so versatile as are ours
that is, there is less difference between
the extreme heat of summer and the ex
treme cold of winter. Still there is suf
ficient inclination to give him seasons
but they are more mild and reguIa
than ours. This planet being so mucl
larger than ours, and revolving upol
his own axis with so much greater We
locity, it follows that the temperature o
his surface must be more regular thai
than that of our earth. Jupiter in as
trology has an Influence for good; SC
likewise, has Venus.
have been thus particular with a de
scription of this planet for the reason
that hereafter propose to refer to th
facts given in support of the PROPOSE
tion that he is inhabited with sentien
beings probably more advanced thai
ourselves. Man, and all animated be
ings, everything, indeed, is progressive
Saturn is the next planet of our sys
tenn. He is farther away than Jupiter
so far from US that, though he is NOR
than one thousand times larger thai
our earth, be is scarcely visible with th
naked eye. BE is nine hundred mill