Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-27


first magnitude. II ne suppose the OBJ
server 50 be on the planet Saturn the
esrth would no longer be visible 70 the
nsked eye, but might be perceived in q
telescope of moderate po yer. Finally. if
the observer took his station upon the
planet N31tupe, which is the most re-
mote body OF the planetary system md
which, be it remembered, 3 railway train
travelling at tie rate OF fifty miles an
hour would not resch in less than COCO
years., the earth would be WIS.,
3ible only IN the most powerful tele-
scopes which the skill Of man has
hither constructed, and even then would
be perceptible Only IS an excessively
small point Of light. Now, the plsnet
Neptune Is distant from the earth only
one seven-thoussndth part OF the distance
| of the nearest OF the fixed stars. Oh
viously this fact, viewed in connection
with the remarks we have just made,
| settles the question 0! the visibility of
| planets revolving around the stars.
| at such distance any system OF opaqus
| bodies shining slowly by reflected light,
and resembling in other respects the
bodies Of the plsuetary system, would be
utterly imperceptible even in the most,
powerful telescopes which have hereto
fore been constructed for astronomical
purposes
We repeat, therefore, it Is no valid OBJ
lection TO the doctrine OF the stars being
accompanied 0y planets that We have no
ocular proof OF the existence OF SUCH bod
les, seeing that ia consequence OF the
immense distance Of the etsrs the yisi0il-
ity Of system OF planets revolving
around star is utterly impossible, 2Ot-
| Withstandng the most powerful telescop-
ic cid which We may employ IN our OBJ
serVations,
Ga the other hand, + seems perfectly
! reasonable conjecture TO suppose that
the innumerab!e suIs which ad0rn the
| stellar vault, and which have been found,
so far as the researches OF the astTJGO-
mer have heretofore conducted him. TO
be vast bodies comparable in msgaituda
and splendor to our own sup,
should like our sun also be accompanied
IL each instance by ret nue. OF revolving
| worlds. The researches of astronomers
on the m 1vements Of double stirs inform
Us that the grest law of attraction which
governs the various boot IS Of the solar
system extends also to the vast bodies OF
the universe which roll in space at an in.
conceivable distance beyond the limits Of
the solar system. 1t is probable. theIs-
fore, that each star is accompanied bTa
system of revolving bodies, the move
ments OF which are controlled by IN 9 pre-
ponderating attraction of the central
oody, IS we see in the case OF the solar
system. Another interesting question
offers itself in connection with these re
marks: Does life exist not merely on the
earth, but on all the planets Of the solar
system, and also on the rlsnets which
may be presumed TO reVoyve round the
innumerable su0s OF She stellsr regiousF
Here, again, We have only conf 9ciuTe to
guide US.
With respect 20 the bodies constituting
the solar system, which from their COM
parative proximity TO The earth might be
supposed to furnish solution Of this
problem, careful observations have here
tofore offered no Indications whatever Of
existence Of life upon their surfaces. But
| life in some form or another may net
| withstanding exist on those bodies. We
must bear in mind that the planets are
| in all probability in various stages Of de-
velopment. 1t may be REASONABLY pre-
sumed that the planets Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranue, aud Neptune, in consequence of
their enormous bulk, nave cooled down
! more slowly than the esrth sand the other
smaller planets Of the fsolar system, and
are therefore less advanced rs
abodes Of animated existence than
the latter are. But even IN the case OF
the earth it must be admitted TO have
revolved millions Of years around the sun
merely as a Il Try orb before lie appeared
on its surface; and even after it had
cooled down and become the abode Of
animated existence it produced during
countless millions OF yeas more life only
| ia it's lowest forms. The existence of man
| is but yesterday. This Is an instructive
| lesson. 1t teaches US that although man
exists on the earth's surface 1t does not
follow that beings of the me order Of
| intelligence IS mau exist upon all the
her planets, Or even upon any OF them.
Upon some OF the planets life may not
nave yet come into existence; upon 9TH
ers life may exist, but in less advance d
stage than upon the earth; and the same
remark is obvtods:y applicable to
the numberless bodies of the starry
armament. The state OF the question
then Is this:
We cannot pronounce positively upon
the existence Of life anywhere beyond the
planet upon which we dwell. But reas-
| Onlng from anal 2gYJ we may suppose ElaI
certaiu, if not all. of the otler bodies Of
the planetary system, which in so many
respects bear strong affioity to our n
planet, are in like manner the abodes of
life In some form or another, and that
similarly there are countless bodies in
The stellar regions which m.y also be the
abodes of life. This Is 8 question, how
ever, upon which the noble science Of
astronomy, distinguished for the exacti-
tude Of its conclusions, does not venture
to pronounce positive opinion, seeing
that there exists no sure basis Of facts
available for its consideration. Ia these
circumstances It is left for each iGdi-
dual inquirer to form his own oDiDion
independently of any support derived
from scientific authority.
Syr