The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-09-28
VOL. XIII. NO. "a.
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 enabled
astronomers to ascertain the quantity of
matter contained in the planet, compared
with that of the sun. But, at the same
time, 1t presents most perplexing ques-
ton, which, has not hitherto been raised
except as 1t 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 tie
time of the planets rotation. A nee
essary consequence of Laplace theory of
evolution, as it is generally understood.
1 is, that the satellites, having been
thrown off from the rlanetary Iasss.scar,
nor move around. him ia 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, OF
that the minute bodies which nov float
in space around Mars were not thrown
off from his surface, but have been cap
tured 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 attracted to his
surface
So far as we are at present able to in
fer, the last named supposition is
probably correct, and. if this be accepted, .
another very interesting question arises
Where did they come from 2" 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
probably that they once travelled around
the sun in very prolonged elliptic orbits,
like those bodies that come near the
earth every now and then, and some of
which fall 10 hel surface, while others
pass through and beyond our atmosphere.
The meteor that passed over Missouri.
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and other states,
on the 2lst of December last, could
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 velociety
-elative to the earth, that meteor might
nave been captured by our planet, and
rave now played the role of second moou
o us. Who will say that we shall not
ret put one or more of these fugitives
nto the Orbital harness, and beat Mars
n the race of moon-catching Nay, il
$ not impossible that our present moon
erself will assume the role of satellite
aptor, and astonish us by that hitherto
phenomenon-a moon, cir
ling around moon larger than itself,
round eaeu 6tffgP while both Weld
Iual obedience to the attractive power
our earth.
The eyes of the world are only Just be-.
e opened to the possibilities Of world
,lstence, and it will exy~ec great (and
laln revelation 20 be made in the
ture by .ne astronomers who -aro da,
lpudeslly Teering into every thing ',a
IeslIal with their telescopes, and try u
2 to anatomize that every thing with @P'
cir telescopes. They have got to oo
axe these revealments in order to sUs- On
in their own reputation, and furnish tol
ison (for them d'etre. 1t is also their go
unden duty to leave no stone unturn- pc
and no inch of space uDscanned, in ior
e endeavor 10 sustain the reputation OF MI
II globe. She is able to capture and IT,
ke care of more than one attendant po
rtainlv as well able as Mars-and does sci
It the ability argue for the fact? Who co
III discover another moon to our earth; Po
. better still, the existence of satel- lei
e to our already familiar moon? ga