The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-21
Other WORLDS and suns.
The Mysteries Of The Heavens as Further TX
planned by Professor Proctor.
ARE OTHER PLANETS INHABITED ?
The Marels OF the Infinite as Re-
vealed by Astronomy.

The fourth and last of the regular course Of Pro-
lessor Proctor's lectures on astronomy deliv-
cred last night at Chickering Hall to an audience
fully equal in point Of numbers to any Of the pre-
ceding Ones The subject was "Other Worlds and
Other Suns" and it was treated by the lee
turer with a skill and mastery that de-
noted on his part much study ana orig
ina research. Graphing boldly with the
problem that puzzled Adam IN the Garden OF Eden
no doubt much it has many hundred millions
of Adams descendants since Eden ceased to be-
namely. els this the only inhabited world! he took
mp the evidence adduced by astronomy and showed
chat in millions OF other planets doubtless there
exist all the conditions requisite to support life and
he leaned not little the theory that Mother Earth
was not the only planet in the immense universe
whore life exists. Plunging with equal boldness
into the unfathomable depths. he dealt with stars
thousands of tines larger than our sun and tens OF
thousands OF times further away and explained the
laws. so far rs known which govern the same. The
lecture was both practical and poetical. Practical
in that it treated OF the agencies employed by astro
nomers in ascertaining knowledge OF the infinite
poetical in that it scope to the imagination
in its boundess flights til, ough the great and mys-
FERROUS universe.
The lecturer began by thanking the audience for
the kindness with which they had treated him dur
Ing the course. He had been criticised for not
making his lecture moro technical, but he had
ognized the fact that he had not been lecturing to
class who had devoted their entire lives
to tho study of astronomy, but rather to
an audience of cultured ladies and gentlemen
to whom more preferable the study Of astron-
omy Invested Of the tecantque incident to the class
room. Referring to some questions that had boon
submitted. MIR. Proctor gave appropriate answers to
II there probably any danger to earth imminent
from the giant planets coming into perihelion
between 1882 and 1885. We have no rea-
son to apprehend the slightest danger. said
the Professor, for they having been coming
into perihelion stated intervals for many tous-
snds OF years, and word has suffered
thcrefrom. beginning the discourse of the evening
proper Mr.. Proctor remarked that toward the close
the preceding lecture he had occasion to present
> large number of the orbs peoplng space
since passed the period or itness to be
to explain in the present lecture that this was not
only in accordance with analogy but also still left
tree 10 regard the heavens presenting millions
Of inhabited worlds, or at any rate worlds TIT to be
the abode OF life. In the first place. according to
the views formerly adopted. by which every orb in
helps to support life as the sun doess the
whole OF time not occupied with life in the same
way the whole of space is occupied. Before those
orbs began to support living creatures the whole
universe would have been scene of absolute life
leESneHS,
to support life death would pervade the entire
universe But IL instead of this consider that at
every instant certain number OF worlds are the
abode Of life while have ceased to be
and others are in u state Of preparation then
ind in the universe what recognize in the earth
. continual succession of living forms and races,
not the simultaneous existence OF all creatures
that endowed with life. On the Garth
ceels in each individual forms of life
succeed each other in the universe, according to
these views. life pervades all time precisely
~ we have found that the whole universe is occupied
our solar system but one or two orbs are now in
habited and it we conceive the Same proportions to
exist In other systems then, remembering that all
the thousands OF suns we and the millions Of
revealed by the telescopes are in all probability
OF systems like that which circles around the
sum- that, II the same proportion exists in
those systems there must be millions Of oros 1T to
support life. among the systems brought into
Wow with the telescope aud these doubtless form
the mnutest portion OF those which actually exist
The lecturer then said that the first pictures he
would exhibit were intended to show that even
within the solar system there might BIO many in
hahted worids.nay. that even those planets which
lted may yet support life in another way. The room
then darkened. and pictures OF Saturn were
hipited with the especial purpose OF showing that,
apart his presumed unfitness to support life
account Of his heat. Saturn would be but un-
comfortable abode for creatures like ourselves.
1t was shown that the rings of Saturn hide at all
times q surface exceeding many times that OF the
entire earth from the suns rays Sir John Hersche
had carly pointed this out, remarking that al
though eclipse of thirteen In duration thus
alternately affected the northern and the southern
hcnspheres OF that planet. it might we'll be that
that arrangement suited creatures living in that dis
tant planet. Dr. Dionysius Iardner. not apparently
perceiving how this might be. erdeavored to show
that such eclpses were not Of long duEa-
ton. and matter of fact it is the
case that over part OF the eclipsed
regions the sun is either only hidden
1t midday or during the morning and evening hours.
But this does not prevent the eclipses over largo
part OF these zones from continuing during many
months and years of time, as we terresrias measure
time. The lecturer remarked that he had calculated
table of the duration OF of these Saturnian
eclipses for different ATTITUDES tho planet, and
from this table-which appeared In tho first book
ltude corresponding to that OF Philadelphia or
New York. for several years i'll succession
In some cases so long six OF our years. This also
In part OF the Saturnfan year when If the planet
were like our earth increase rather than q dm |
mutton of the suns heat would be required during
the wintcr-viz. of the Saturnian year. This OF IT,
self, would render Saturn unfit to he the abode of
life according to our conception. Yet in the very
neighborhood of Saturn there eight worlds. each
having surface of many millions OF square miles.
system Ia a miniature Of the solar system. Eight
moons travel around Saturn and the two largest OF
these moons are nearly equal in size. one to tho |
system-is large the planet Mars. Now. these |
worlds not only receive light and heat from
the sun. but to make up the diminished |
amount of such light and heat due TO
their greater distance from the sun. they have /
enormous supplies OF reflected light from Saturn.
and possibly, Also IL no is SO heated as theory
amount of heat Jupiter next considered In the
light, and IL shown that the four worlds
circulating around that planet may support many
millions or living creatures The following pisture
moons:--