Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-08-03
eAruRN's RINGS.
,,,arestIng spseulatlons Of
Son'e 49, a scientist,

oa.h IA It's orbit, about tHo -
80 . :, may be safely aecep'sa
ms ' 49,, Bu, every field Of thought
y 0o..s s,,.,hiag with the evolutionary
fsr,nept aud a. We can not RESI- Sa ,'.
da5 with any conclusion as y hna'.ls,
~ herr merely find ourselves AZ 'a'
starting point Of new speenlatlons.
What then, is the history OF these
.,nrs ana what their future ialef
They ara clearly intimately related 70
~ Mans, and their history would DC
complete il we could with tho m.pa
owe watch their birth from the planet
and follow their subsequent ehahss'.
Now although the details OF such
history are obscure. yet at least
shaaowy outline of il may be conhaeat-
| " accepted as known -.
IN the remote past all the matter
which now forms the Saturnian system
~ planet, satellites, and rings was Jar
more diffused than at present lheFe
was probably nucleus Of denser mat
ter round which slowly revolEed
mass Of raretied gases and meteorites'
The central portion was intensely NOT
with heat derived by condensation from
a state OF still greater dispersion.
As this nebula cooled II contracted
and therefore revolyed more quickly.
| II YOU watch the water emptytng l'seH
from a common wash-hand basin when
the Mug at the bottom is removed, you
will see an example Of such quleRened
rotation. When the basin Is full, the
water is commonly revolving slowly 10
one or the other direction, but as ths
level falls and the water approaches
the hole. II spins more quickly, ana
| the Inst drops are seen TO whlrl round
! with violence.
The revolving uebula is hattened At
, the poles like an orange. and tho
> amount Of flattcnlng increases a. u
! contracts aud spins quicker, A. GER
: tain stage Il can no longer subsist in
] continuous mass, and IA anuular por
zion Is detached from the equator
l leaving the ccntra! ball 10 contlnuc ia
:, contraction.
: We ara pretty safe In saying that ihs
i rings OF saturn took their origin u
: some such mode as this. But IL CA
5 not b. maintained that sc undersi "a
. II all. for We have not more than
g vague picture Of the primitive nc6ula
= and the mode ia which the matter ~
z gregatcd itself into n riag Hud dg
= tached Itself Is Obscure. ~ Rocb
. has done perhaps moro than any %
n else 10 impart mathematical prcgsslD
d to these ideas. hut oven he has nd
). been wholly successful
:, This theory, COMMONLY called n
n ncbulur hypothesis. was advanced Il
e dcpendeuty both by The philosophs
al Kant, and by I.aplace. Various mod
iications have been suggested ~ otl
crs. but the theory. in whatever fora
- Is replctD with difficulties aud must
= present be only regarded as an Al
!. Proclamation 10 the truth
- II the past history o. tire ring il NJ
- wholly clear. IL Is at least iuors nses
:, tainable than It's future deyrlopnen
\, II is nearly certain that tho ring NO
'. presents markedly different appea
i, ancc from that which was seen by
20 discoveries. Indeed the only dnu
=. lies In the uncertainty ~ 10 ths atuou
Of allowance which must be- made I
re differences OF observers and Of iusir
=. nents. Huygens described the lnts
he val between the bright ring aud 4
o. planet as rather exceeding the wtd
nd OF tho ring, but this Is now fragrant
en- incorrect 1t Is improbable that H.
III gems was incorrect, although. on 1
other hand. by the most delicate n
OF crometic measurements Struye has be
no unable to detect any change 10 an
N, teryal OF thirty years TO this centul
rk We muy call TO mind that Maxw
.er showed that n spreading OF the ria
Oh both outward and inward was n III,
,et retical result Of the inevitable impa
in between the constituent mcteorit
which he used 20 describe az a show
ali Of brickbats. Thus, whether or
nd the immense changes suspected sir
me 1859 are true. IL remains almost cert.
eid that changes Of this kind are
ir, progress
led ! venture, then. TO hazard 4
led words Of speculation as to the fut,
vas Of the rings. The outward sprcndi
300 will in time carry many meteor
ok beyond Rocbe's limit; hero there y
vas no longer be an obstacle to agere,
OF ton into acelestial body. such ACC
CATION will probably ensue. and
lad ninth satellite will be formed. I
ger inward spreading will in time On,
ied the meteorites 10 the limits Of Sa,ur
lad atmosphere, where, heated by fric,I
rye as they rush through the air, and Il
ms Wall disintcgrate and fall on the MI
ct as dust After time. Of which
g estimate can be formed, the ring .
'ui' nave vanished. leaving tho nj,
ter | satellite ma fta a.z.-t