Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-06-16
Jupiter, the Giant World.
BY II. A. CUTTING, PHI. d.

the celestial attendants of the sun, to
which archipelago the earth belongs, and
oi all honored planets from the remotest
ages of heather antiquity, and consecrated
also 10 that flbled mighty king OF gods
and men, Jupiter stands forth to our gaze
as the namesake of that powerful god. the
most colossal world. The circumference OF
this immense world called Jupiter is two
hundred seventy-fve millions of miles,
and lis volume exceeds that OF earth by
one thousand two hundred and thirty
times. If placed at the distance OF our
moon it would occupy more than sixteen
hundred times the space our moon occu-
pies, and yet this immense globe travels
through space, accompanied by four sat
elites, at mean distance of four hundred
ninety six millions of miles from the sun,
distance more than five times as great as
the carth's distance from that central
luminary, and yet it is whirled around
this immense orbit ut the rate OF eight
miles each second. Even with this velocity
which carries it forward twenty-five miles
every time we breathe, it is eleven years,
ten months and seventeen days in COM
pleting this stupendous revolution. 1t
revolves on its axis in nine hours and
fifty-live minutes, giving n velocity to its
surface which we can hardly dream OF,
and certainly never appreciate. 1t conse-
quently has day, including twilight Of
only five hours, and night five minutes
shorter. Says the immortal Kant, " II an
inhabiant of Jupiter should die in child
hood having lived but one year on that
planet, he would be as old as child that
died here on our globe at the age OF eleven
years and three hundred fourteen days,
vet that child would have lived one hun
dred three thousand, nine hundred and
sixly-eight of Jupiter s days" Though
Jupiter is SO large that we are lost in
amazement when we think of its size, it is
in reality an interesting world to study.
1t has not the density of earth but Is in
reality no more dense than our dust or
water, hence it must be composed of very
light substances and is thought by many
to be covered by immense clouds of vapor,
as the earth would be if the internal heat
was sufficient to convert all our water
oceans incuded) into steam. The sun,
being five times more distant from Jupiter
than from this earth, must present tame
appearance compared with what we see,
yet is capable of giving the inhabitants OF
Jupiter, should there be such, sufficient
amount of light, though Notwithstanding
it would be twenty-seven times less than
we enjoy. With so large world before
us for contemplation it is natural to spec
uIate about its probable inhabitants, and a
German philosopher by the name of Wolff,
about one hundred years ago, gave us a
peculiar method Of computation, TO show
even to an inch the size of Jupiter's in
habitants. As it has often been published,
and thus shows the notoriety that man
may give theory that has no facts 10
sustain it, if he happens to be called a
philosopher, and thus speculate, | will
give the substance of such computation in
his own language. Says he, 1--WE are
taught in optics that the pupil of the eye
is Gilated by q feeble light, and contracted
by an intense one. The light of the sun
being much less intense for the inhabit-
ants of Jupiter than for us, owing to their
far greater distance from this star. it fol-
lows that these men have pupils that are
larger and more dilated than ours. Now
we observe that the pupil is in constant
proportion to the globe of the eye, and the
eye to the rest of the body; so that the
more the pupil is developed the larger the
eye, and the larger also the body. In
order, from this principle or rule, to de-
termine the size of the inhabitants OF
Jupiter, we must consider that the dis
tance frcm Jupiter to the sun is to the
distance from the earth to the sun rs
twenty-six is to five, and consequently
that the suns light with respect to Jupiter
is to this light, with respect to the earth
in the double ratio of five to twentysix
On another hand, experience teaches us
that the dilation of the pupil is always
more than proportional to the increase OF
the lights intensity; otherwise n body
placed at II great distance would appear as
clearly defined as another placed nearer.
The diameter of the pupil of Jupiter's
inhabitants, then, is to the diameter of our
own in II greater proportion than five tc
twcnty-siX. Let us suppose it ten tC
twenty. six, or five to thirteen. The usua
height Of the earth's inhabitants being
about five feet four inches, we conclude
the ordnIry height of the inhabitants of
Now this was about the size of Or, king
of Bashan. whose head, according to
Moses, was nine cubits long and four
wide"
This is all good reasoning had it any
facts to support it. But it has none. There
is no proportion of the size Of pupil or eye
to the size of the animal. No one ha'
ever seen IN elephant or II whale but what
WAS struck by the small size of the eye
which is about the size of that of an OK.
Then again. mlny small insects have eyes
larger than the mole. The tiger is alst
inferior to the hog in size, yet its eye il
doubIe the siz9 of the eye Of the hog, ant
the owl sholId by the same rule be much
larger than man, and have an eye to cor
respond with its pupil, which now it ha;
not Thus his theory is of no account.
Osrrrs have supposed the inhabitants Q
Jupiter very small, regulating their cal
culalion by the power Of gravity, AS
MIN from earth if placed in that plane
wo lII weigh two and n half times mor'
than hare, and ia consequence woult
hardly be able to drag himself about
while if as small rs Tom Thumb and n