Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-12-14

VIII iaiupS- I1cEStDei SAY VI Ills ut-
vice, that the effect was very fine and
so natural that it might have deceived
the best astronomers. Nobody who has
ever seen Saturn with a modern tele-
scope could be deceived by any device
OF that kind. .lftf
snow look at Saturn through the
telescope the astronomer added. land
j will point out to you some of the
things for the study of which astrono-
mers all over the world will seize this
favorable opportunity"
The reporter looked, and saw in the
field of the telescope golden ball sur
rounded by two broad couccntric rings,
inclined to the Line OF sight so that their
general outline was a long oval. There
were delicately shaded zones on the
ball, the color around the pole which
was not hidden by the rings being a
faint blue. while the equatorial zone was
light yellow. The rings, too. bore deli
cate markings. the division between
them appearing as heavy black line.
Circling outside the rings were several
OF the planets moons.
''Look sharply along the inner edge
of the inner bright ring" said the as
tronOmer. ',and you will see another
ring, which is one of the most mysteri-
Gus objects in all the heavens. II is not
bright. like the others. but dark. re-
sembling a strip of gauze stretched
against the sky; and yet that galze-hke
ring is 5000 or 1900 miles broad, and
more than 100. 900 miles in diameter
There is no record of its ever having
been seen earlier than the year 1888, al
though Saturn had been studied with
some OF the best telescopes in the world
for half q century before that" 1p
The reporter saw the mysterious ring,
and was surprised to perceive that it
was partially transparent. The astron-
omer explained that this had been ac-
counted for on the supposition that the
rings are composed of a multitude of
little satellites revolving in about che
same plane. and that in the gauze ring
these satellites are comparatively so few
in number that the ring appears trans
parent. But he added, "the fact
is we don't know what these rings are,
and ii anybody is able during the pres
ent favorable opposition OF the planet to
throw any light on the question. all as
trOnOmers will unite in thanking him.
But there is one strange and startling
thing about those rings which possesses
especial interest. Some thirty years
ago the astronomer Strive collected
data which seem to show that the rings
are rapidly approaching the planet. and
will touch it or fall in upon it about the
year 2150. If such a catastrophe should
occur. some of our great great-great-
grandchildren may live long enough to
witness it."
.'Do you suppose Saturn mas any in
habitantsT' the reporter asked.
''Well, that's question that has been
a good deal debated" was the reply.
1.-The possibility OF such magnificent
planet being inhabitedis something that
has had a powerful charm for the
human imagination ever since the in
vention of the telescope. Swedenborg
said Saturn was inhabited by an up
right and modest race. and bis descrip-
ton of how they lived. taking little care
for food or raiment, but s,ibsistiny up
on the natural productions Of their
planet. and behOlding those wonderful
rings as q strange whiteness in the sky.
is very curious reading. The facts Of
physical astronomy, as at present un-
derstoOd, seem to indicate that the in !
habitants of the solar system are col I
lected upon the inner and smaller
planets. Of which the earth is the chief,
and that the outer and larger planets
like Jupiter and Saturn have not vet /,
reached an inhabitable condition. I
Some OF the reasons, however, which /
lead MS to think that Saturn is not an
world do not apply to his /
eight moons. If they have Inhabitants.
q celestial scene unmatched so far as /
we know in the whole universe is opened /
to their view. This is particularly true |