Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-02-02
COKE
Proctor's Essay on Saturn.

Professor Proctor has published a work
on astrosomy 10 which be gives the fol.
lowing account Of the eclipses OF the
Saturnian regions. He says:
Thus in S%aturniau latitude 40 deg.
corresponding to the isiituAe of Madrid
on our earth, the begins to be eclipsed
about three years after the au.umnal
equinox. And IL will bs remembered
that the Saturnian seasons are more than
seven years in length, and that from the
autumnal to the vernal equinox is a De.
Rod Of nearly fifteen years. For awhile
there are only morning and evening
eclipses-thst is, the days already short.
ening with the approach of winter are
still further shortened by ecIipses caused
by the rings. These morning and even
ing eclipses gradually grow longer and
longer, until about 4 year has passed. by
which time they last through the whole
Of the S%aturnisn day, now transformed
TO night. This state of things continues
for nearly seven years. during the whole
OF which time the sun is altogether con-
cealed from view, unless nov and then
for a moment he can be partly seen oe-
tween the satellites which compose the
rings. From the blsckness OF the sbad-
ow thrown by the rings. however, It Is
very unlikely that gaps through which
the SUI may thus be seen are at all com
mon. Af.er these years OF what must be
regarded as practically total eclipse, the
morning and evening eclipses begis
again, and gradually last for a shorter
and shorter time, until about three
Years before the vernal equinox. Then
for about twenty years, which includes the
long S%aturnian summer, the sun is not
eclipsed by the rings; moreover, as he
begins to illuminate the visible side of
the rings, at the Ssturnian vernal equi-
hox, it follows that during the Saturnian
summer nights the ring appears as a
baud Of brightness on the S~atarnian skv.
except where the broad shadow Of ths
planet falls upon it. The circumstances
here considered seem to accord with
what has been already noticed in the
Gaze of the satellites. The ring system
does not seem calculated to render Sa-
turn's globe a more convenient place for
living creatures. On the contrary. y
portion of that small supply of light
which Saturn receives from the Sun is
intercepted from the rings precisely a.
the period when, according to our ideas.
it would be most desirable that the sup
ply should be increased; while through
out the Saturnian winter nights the ring
system supplies no light whatever, but
blots out many hundreds Of stars from
view. The just inference would be that
either Saturn is altogether u~ninhabited or
that the creatures inhabitiug the planet
are so different from any with which we
are acquainted that we can form no esti-
mate of their requirements.
The essay closes with the following
description Of the planet, as seen
through a powerful telescope:
The rings are yellow ochre shaded with
the same and sepia; the globe, yellow
ochre and broEn nader, orange and
purple, shaded with sepia; the Grape
ring, purple madden and sepia; the great
division in the rings, sepia. The pole and
the narrow belts, situated near to it on
the globe, pale cobalt blue. These tints
are the nearest ! could find 10 represent
those seen on the planet, but there is a
muddiness about all terrestrial colors
when compared with the colors Of objects
seen in the skies. These colors could
not be seen in their brilliancy and
purity, unless we could dip our pencil in
a rainbow, and transfer the p.ismatic
tints to our paper.