The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-10-04
A Few Moon-Queries.

The recent discovery that the planet
Mars is attended by two or three moons
is very important one, as it has en-
abled astronomers to ascertain the guam
tity of matter contained in the planet,
compared with that of the Sun. But,at
the same time, it presents Il most per-
picking question, which has not hither-
to been raised, except as it is involved
in the discussion about a supposed intra-
Mercurial planet. One of these moons
revolves about three times while Mars
rotates once on his axis, and the period
of the one first discovered is only about
one-third more than the time of the
planets rotation. A necessary conse-
quence of the Laplace theory. Of evolu-
ton, as it is generally understood, is,
that the satellites, having been thrown
off from the planetary mass, can not
move around him in less time than he
occupies in turning on his own axis;
which is directly disproved by the ascer-
tanned fact, as stated. 1t follows either
that the Laplace theory is at fault, or
that the minute bodies which now
float in space around Mars were
not thrown off from his surface, but
have been captured by him at some time
in the past when they came near enough
to him to be twisted out of their former
orbits, but not near enough to be at
tracted to his surface.
So far as we are at present able to in
fer, the last named supposition is prob
ably correct, and, if this be accepted,
another very interesting question
arises: "Where did they come from?"
1t is not impossible that these satellites
were formerly members of that vast host
of planetoidal bodies which course
around the Sun between the orbits of
Mars and Jupiter. 1t is, however, at
least equally probable that they once
travelled around the Sun in very pro-
longed elliptic orbits, like those bodies
that come near the Earth every now and
then, and some of which fall to her sur
face, while others pass through and be-
yond our atmosphere. The meteor that
passed over Missouri, Illinois, Indiana,
Ohio, and other States, on the 21st
of December last, could scarcely have
made such a grand display unless its
diameter were at least equal to that of
the smallest satellite of Mars, which is
estimated by Watson at two and three
fourths miles. Under certain conditions
of direction and velocity relative to the
Earth, that meteor might have been cap
tured by our planet, and have now play
ed the role of second moon to us. Who
will say that we shall not yet put one or
more of these fugitives into the orbital
harness, and beat Mars in the race of
moon-catch,ng! Nay, it is not impos-
sible that our present Moon herself will
assume the role of satellite captor, and
astonish us by that hitherto-unheard-o of
phenomenon moon, circling around
moon larger than itself, or rather a
system of moons swinging around each
other, while both yield equal obedience
to the attractive power of our Earth
The eyes of the world are only just
being opened to the possibilities OF
world existence, and it will expect great
(and smalD revelations to be made in
the future by the astronomers who are
impudently peering into every thing
celestial with their telescopes, and try.
ing to anatomize that every thing with
their telescopes. They have got to make
these revealments in order to sustain
their own reputation, and furnish a
raiso,s (for them) d'etre. 1t is also their
bounden duty TO leave no stone unturn-
ed. and no inch of space unseanned, in
the endeavor to sustain the reputation OF
our globe. She is able to capture and
take care of more than one attendant
certainly as well able as Mars-and does
not the ability argue for the fact9 Who
will discover another moon to our Earth
or. better still, the existence of satel-
lite to our already familiar Moon?-Chi-