Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-04-17
GUESSES About MARS.

The brilliant discovery OF the two
satellites Of tho planet Mars is as yet
so recent that only approximate calcu-
lations have been made Of their periods
of revolution, distances from their PR.
mary, or mass and weight but the
immediate results are so suggestive as
TO induce a layman to hazard few
rough guesses concerning them. The
first thing that strikes tho attention i
that it completes the symmetry of ouI
planetary system. Whenitwas thought
to have no satellite, IT stood as a break
in the series. NoY, the series has an
almost regular progression. Venus
who lies within our orbit, has no moon
next comes the Earth, with one moon
next Mars, with two; Jupiter, with
TOUR; Saturn, with eight. and its satel
lite rings. The series here reaches its
maximum and declines, Uranus having
four, like Jupiter, and Neptune is sc
remote that its system Of satellites il
not perfectly known The seeming
regularity of this progression may give
q new impulse TO the study Of the prob
lem of satellite formations, and OF the
conditions Of mass, motion, density
nuidity and period of revolution under
which they come into being. Another
suggestive fact is the rapidity with
which the satellitessweep around the
planet and their proximity TO him--
The outer satellite travels around il
about thirty hours, the inner in about
eight hours. Our moon makes its cir
cult in month, the inner moon Of Mars
goes around three times in one day. Ii
fancy one can almost feel the whiz Of
this mighty projcctile, as it draws near
er and nearer to the planet. If it be
true that the ether Of space opposes
any resistance to tho motion Of tn,
heavenly bodies, the satellites Of Mar
being comparatively small bodies woulC
yield first TO that resistance and, by
losing their original tangential force
yield TO tho attraction OF the planet
gradually draw in spirally, and at lasi
tall upon it-like ball swung at th,
end OF a string which winds on The
finger with the whirl The time mus
come in tho remote future-tho neal
future, as astronomical events arc meas
ured-when the satellite will com,
within the resistance ofthe atmosphere
of Mars, and, losing still moro rapidly
its tangential force, descend with ,
cosmic crash upon the planet. Th'
vast momentum and motion transmu
ted into heat by the shock will set fir'
10 both. They will grind on oacl
other for q few revolutions, and, lik'
two drops Of water, melt into one--aI
\ incandescont mass, Or perhaps, pas
beyond that, into luminous vapor lik'
the sun. A new star blazing with in
snfferablc brightness will appear in th'
heavens--a phenomenon by no mean
unprecedented--that will be visible a
far off as Orion. Mars is considered
now us dead planet Like our moon
he is probably past the sustaining
ago. His atmosphere is attenuated
his oceans sinking into the crust, biz
internal heat gone, incapable of bearing
life in such forms as we know ii. Bu
in the mass and motion Of those dea,
orbs lie the. promise and potency o
life which yet may be. First will com,
the concussIon and grind, in whicl
planet and satellites will flash into su
preme brightness then the glowing
incandescent nucleus,g s,gradually cooling
into n crust; then the crystalline err
Of rock formation, and the precipitation
OF the oceans, from the union Of th
oxydcn and hydrogen, the Formation
of stratifed rocks, the upheaval OF con
tinents and the generation and dcvel
4 opmont of liic--repeating the grani
cycle Of creation worked out ut the fla
Of the Almighty. But all these event
must take place many millions Of year
hence. and comparatively few Of u
will live to sec them.