The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-01-29

go through very long perlOO OF Time
before he reaches the same state as this
globe. Take the smaller orbs. The
moon is one-eighty-tirst part of the
size of our earth, and one-thirteenth
part of our supply of heat would last
the moon six times as long. Every
stage of our earth's cooling, therefore,
would last six times as long. Therefore,
instead of 500, OOO, 900 of years we get
for the moon only about $4,000, 900 of
years. In other words, the moon
would have reached the same state as
our earth is now APO, OOO, 900 of years
ago.
The sun was probably formed. as all
the planets were formed, in a state of
vapor, and probably still remains in
great part in a vapOrous state. He is
the younger member of the solar sys-
tenn simply because he surpasses all the
rest in mass. By the same principle as
we have before applied, it would take
1000, 900, 900 of years to bring the sun
10 the same state as our earth; there
fore we willsconsider him as a younger
member of the system, not, of course,
in years, but development, and so pass
onward from its present state to the
changes our earth is passing through
and then to her old age.
CHANGES OF THE PLANETS.
The hall at this point was made COM
pletely dark, and the Professor brought
the stereopticon into active use. The
first illustration was chart of the rela-
tive position of the solar bodies, the
lecturer explaining their comparative
dimensions and volume. The dots on
the sheet, he remarked. represented
the asteroids. In reality thew were too
large, but if they had been their right
size relatively on the chart they would
have been invisible, and therefore not
very instructive. More than 200 of
these stars had been already discovered,
and thousands doubtless existed. Nine
teen were discovered last year-the
largest number in any one year-and,
as Professors Peters, Watson and others
were studying them assiduously, we
should, no doubt, see more of them
every year. Among other views of the
solar bodies, a splendid photograph of
the sun, by DIR. Rutherford, was shown,
from which many details of the charac-
ter of that orb could be cleaned. 1t
showed. for instance, that the atmos-
phere was dense, but not very deep,
Compared with that of the earth. The
spots on the sun had been held to be
openings in the clouds which enveloped
the surface of the sun, and which were
known as the solar granules. These
granules were swept aside, and the
dark figures appeared, but how it was
that they were swept aside periodically,
and how the sun came to show many
spots at one time and then again none
at all, and why these changes averaged
about eleven years, was as yet prob
lem to which no solution had been
offered. DR.. Kirk, of Indiana, was very
near it, probably, when he concluded
that these spots were meteors following
in the track of some comet which had
fallen upon the surface of the sun. The
next picture showed one of these spots
enlarged, which has a surface three
times as large as that of the earth. In
the next the granules of the sun were
shown, and several followed upon the
same subject. The next series of views
purported to show what lies outside
the sun, the prOminences, and the cor
ona, and in reference to picture show
ing the direction of the axis of the zodi-
acal light, the lecturer made the i'm.
portant statement: 81 believe it pro-
ceeds from the central region of great
nebulous disc, extending to the limits
of the solar system ITSELF"
The Jovian system was next shown
and considered. The sun, said the
Professor, is surrounded by cloud lay
ers, and it is these layers, and not the
sun, that meet our eye. You have
heard of variety of changes taking
place in these cloud layers, and re-
Gently a similar change has taken place
in. the cloud layers of Jupiter, by
which long elliptical opening in the
southern hemisphere, equal to three
fourths of the surface of our own
earth, is now seen. Therefore we have
to infer that .he clouds must have been
swept to one side by some mighty force
exerted, we cannot doubt, from below,
and brought into view the real surface
of the planet. And it is proved that
the planet has intense heat and is con-
stantly working these changes. by the
fact that these cloud layers are in no
way influenced by the sun. I think
the evidence we have is that in the
youth of the planet the waters that are
one day to form the planets oceans
were raised into the atmosphere in the
form of these clouds.
Now let us pass to the planet Saturn,
OF which a picture is here shown.
Here we find the same evidence OF
great cloud masses. These discs upon
the planet are unquestionably formed
of cloud, and are what will be the
oceans of that planet. l am almost
disposed to think that Saturn, although
not SO large as Jupiter, is even
younger in development. l think we
find evidence of that in its incomplete
system that travels round it. There
are his rings and his eight moons, and
recently three other moons have been
formed. Changes are certainly taking
place in the rings of Saturn, which
show that it is, as it were, a kind OF
laboratory of nature at present.
wish you to notice that it is generally
believed that the central planet is in.
tended to be the abode of life, and the
satellites are intended as sources Of
light ard heat. 1t is not so in regard to
the noble orb, the sun; and in regard
to the satellites, take those of Jupiter
for example-you will find several
equal to support life. The larger is a.
large as the planet Mercury and has 8
surface of 1000, 900 square miles, and
is entirely fitted to support q great
number Of living creatures. And It j.
proper to notice that what is commonly
supposed to be the. purpose of these
moons is not fulfilled by them
II all these four m0vns were al
the full at the same time, which
they could not be. they would only
reflect on Jupiter one-sixteenth part O