The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1877-10-10
A FEW MOON QUERr.-

L
Tha recent discovery that the pIar.
Mars is attended by two Or three moons
Is a very important one, IA 1t las enabled
astronomers TO ascertain the quantity nf
matter contained in the planet, compared
with that Of the sun. But, at lhe same
time, II presents a most perplexing ques-
tion, which has not hitherto been raised,
except as 1t involved in the discussion
about a supposed intra Mercurial planet.
One Of these moons reyoives about thee
times while Mars ro.ates once on his axis,
and the period o. the one frat 4iiscovereti
Is only about one~third more than the
time Of the planets rotation. A necessary
consequence Of Laplace's theory OF evou-
tion, as il is generally understood, il, that
the satellites, having been thrown offfrom
the planetary mass, cannot move around
him In less time than he occupies In
turning on his own axis; which IL directly
dlsproyed by the ascertainei fact. as stated.
1t follows either that the Laplace theory
il at fault, or that theminute bodies which
now float III space around Mars were not
thrown OFT from his surface, but have been
captured by him at some time in the pasl
when they came near enough 10 him to
be twisted out oftheir former orbits, but
not near enough to be attracted to his sur.
face.
So far as we are at present able to infer,
the last named supposition is probably
correct. and, il this he accepted, another
very interesting question arises: Where
did they come from?' Itisnot impossible
that these satellites were formerly mems
bers Of thai vast host Of planetoridal bodies
which course around the sun between tile
orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It is, howe
ever, at least equally probably That they
once travelled around the sun Is very pro-
longei 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 2lst Of De-
cember Inst, could scarcely have made
such grand display unless its diameter
were at least equal 10 that ofthe smallest
satellite Of Mars, which is estimated by
Watson at two aud three-fourths miles.
Under certain conditions Of direction and
velocity relative 10 the earth. that meteor
I@night have been captured by our planet,
and nave now played the role OF second
moon 10 us. Who will say that we shall
not. yet put one or more OF these
fugitives into the orbitai harness and beat
Mars In the race Of ofmoon-catching! Nay,
1t is not impossible that our present moon
herself will assume the role OF satellite
capior, and astonish US by that hitherto-
unheard-of phenomenUn-a moon, cir
cling around moon larger than itself. or
rather system Of moons swinging around
each other, while both yield equal ohc-
dience to the attractive power Of our
earth.
The eyes ofthe world are only just he-
ing opened 10 the possibiliticsof world ex-
istence, and II will expect great land
slnall) revelations TO be made in The future
by the astIonomefs who are Impudently
peering into everything celestial with
their telescopes and trying to anatomize
tha. everything with their telescopes.
They have got TO make these reyealments
ID order to sustain their own reputation,
aud furnish raison FOR theml d'etre. 1t
Is also their boundcn duty to leave no
stone unturned, and no inch ofspace nn-
scanned, In the endeayor to sustain the
reputation OF our globe. She Is able to
capture and take care Of more than one
aiiiendani-ceriainl as well able as Mars
land does not the ability argue for the
fact. Who will dicovcr another moon 10
our earth; or, better still, the existence Of
a satellite 70 our already familiar moon ?