The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-07-12
Prof. Proctor's Theory About Jupiter,

IL was formerly tnOugnt, or ratner IL
was formerly said in the books, that Jupi-
ter is planet like our earth; but when
we think about all that has become known
to us respecting this giant planet, we find
strong reasons for believing that he is in
quite different state.
In the first place, it is now known al
most certainly that every planet, includ-
ing our own earth, has in long past ages
been intensely hot, and has cooled down
after millions of years to its present condi-
ton. Now, large bodies take much
longer time in cooling than small ones,
and Jupiter is many times larger than our
earth. Therefore, he is not likely to have
cooled to the same degree, unless he was
made many millions of years earlier,
which is mol probable. There are reasons
for thinking that he is nearer thousands
of millions than tens of millions of years
behind the earth in cooling; whence it
would follow that he is stii1 very warm
indeed. Probably his real surface is as
hot as red hot iron.
This will explain-and know no other
way of explaining-his seeming to be so
much larger than he ought to be by
actual bulk or mass. | know no reason
Willy " DldACV ouOul0 llOt DC tCuy vi tNCHtJ
or q hundred, OF thousand times larger
than our earth. But Jupiter is swollen,
one may say, much beyond the size we
should expect from his mass 1t is as
though he were made of lighter material
than our earth. But we have every reason
to believe that all the planets are made of
attracts every portion of his substance
yor1 bn To oh "a 1, yc
whole frame very compact and dense; yet
much more swollen than that of our earth.
ent volume, it would, in this respect, be
in the same condition as Jupiter. Only
he is so much mightier in attractive en-
ergy, that the same heat which would
thus expand or swell our earth would not
suffice to expand Jupiter to the same de-
gree. 1t so chances that our sun is ex-
panded (no doubt by intense heat to about
the same degree. In his case, a tremend-
GUS heat is of course wanted. In the case
of our earth, considerable heat would
1--WE knoD) be required. In Jupiter's case,
we may safely infer a very great heat is
required and exists.
Only, instead of supposing that the
oOilu IldSo VI u uDilCl 10 oWOiiCA III vi 40
degree, I think we may conclude that
owing to. the intense heat of his solid
mass, enormous quantities of gas and va
por are generated, and form very deep
atmosphere all around him, in which float
great masses of cloud. It is this atmos-
phere, laden with immense layers of
cloud, that the astronomer sees and meas
ures, not the real body of the planet,
WI, soH nov, No thor, q r,oorl1I
stone inside the perfect fruit.
A curious thing happened on June 26,
1928. which can easily be explained if the
atmosphere of Jupiter is deep and kept
in constant turmoil through the intense
sibly be explained if Jupiter is supposed
to be in the same state as our earth. Ad-
miral Smyth was observing one of Ju-
the planets face, travelling toward the
left. He saw it make its entry on the
disc, and went to- record the time in his
notebook. Observe that at this moment
the planets outline was entirely outside
no longer be seen. Returning few min
utes after 70 The telescope, smyth saw the
satellite outside again, or 10 all seeming
IN4t % ~ l1t4<t VIGA 0CiOkC lAG CntA
The same strange thing was seen by
Mr.. Maclear at Biggleswade, with {. rath-
er smaller telescope, and by DR.. Pearson
at South Kilworth, with much larger
one. Now, moon cannot possibly stop
in its course around its planet; still less,
If less could be, could moon retreat and
frame of Jupiter shift. Out of all ques-
a.. <c T,,r, ~, nad and
not by little. but by two or three thou
yond belief in this if the atmosphere is
most cloud-l layers eight or ten thousand
miles above the true surface. Fora cloud
layer might easily be dissolved into the
invisible form by the warm breath OF some
current Of Jovian air. But that the sur
face Of planet like our earth should
change in level even by ten miles, is ut
terly incredible, far more that there should
be an alternate swelling and shrinking
through two or three thousand miles.
Such adisturbance Of the crust would turn
all that part OF Jupiter into yapor, so in
tense would be the heat produced by the
movement.
The spectfoscope shows that the deep
atmosphere Of Jupiter contains enormous
quantities of the vapor of water. It seems
to me not improbable that All the water Of
the planet. Its future seas and oceans, now
hang suspended in the form Of cloud and
vapor in the planets atmosphere Jupiter,
in fact, may fairly be regarded as . young
though gigantic planet-not young In
years. but young IN development--a batly
planet, the fullness Of whose growth will
- ~, !, g y. vsdrnda nf m1f1iono