The morning call., 1892-01-03
THE GREATEST
OF ALL WORLDS.
The Present Condition Of Jupiter as
Seen From 0UI Earth.
a Mighty Planet to Which This Globe Ap-
pears Like Mere speck - Certainty
That It Is or Will Be Inhabited.

of gods and men, is the vastest the most
important and the most majestic. This
colossal world Of Jupiter has diameter OF
about $1,000 miles. which surpasses that OF
our earth by more than eleven times
The circumference Of Jupiters earth al
the equator is about 20, coo miles. The vol
Ume of this giant exceeds that Of the earth
by 1874 times
This immense globe seen at the distance
at which we are situa ed from the moon
would appear TO Us with diameter about
forty times larger than that OF cur Satel-
lite. ami the surface of its disk would en-
brace on the celestial vault an extent
1000 tineS greater than that of the full moon.
This giant Of tie worlds travels through
space accompanied by a retInue OF four
satellites at a mean distance OF 49o,OlOOJ0
miles from the sun, which is more than hye
tunes greater than that Of the earth from
the same.
Its orbit IS more than !, 600 600, 600 miles
In extent, and through this it passes in 1882
days OF II years, 10 months and Il days.
Such is the year of this immense globe.
In order to complete its entire orbit dur
ing this period 1t speeds around the sun
with a velocity of rocco miles q day, or
little more than eight miles second. This
is a little less than half the velocity Of the
earth in It's orbit Bat IL rev0lyes on Its
axis with d very great swiftneSs, Tor It's day
and night combined only last about hours
and % minutes.
LENGTH OF ITS DAYS.
In other words. the Inhabitants Of Jupiter
enjoy only five hours Of real dag, twilight
included. If. SAYS Kant, IAN lnha Oltant
Of Jupiter should die IN childhood, having
lived but one year on that planet, he would
lie rs old as child who should die on our
globe at the age Of II years and 3l4 days.
The terrestrial cAlld would have lived
about Jos. sos Of Jupiier's days, ana the child
Cd Jupiter 400, 80 of the earth days"
It's probable that this globe, although
created before the earth, has preserved its
pristine heat much longer by reason Of its
volume and mass. Is this characteristic
heat suffi .iently intense 10 prevent all mani
festationS of life? And IS this globe, still
at the present time, not IN the state Of
luminous star, but in the condition of a dark
and burning one, entirely liquid, or scarcely
covered " iUh a first hardened crust, as the
earth was before life began to appear on its
surface?
or, indeed, is this colossal planet in that
condition Of temperature through which our
own world passed through the primary Pc
Rod of It's geological epOchS, when life be-
gan TO show itself under strange forms, as
animal and vegetable beings Of astonishing
vitality amid the commissions and tempeSts
If the newborn world !? The last Is the most
rational conclusion that we can draw from
the most recent aud exact observations to
WHICH We are llHEUttu 1Ot v lluk we hGOh u
the present state OF this vast world.
Whether Jupiter be inhabited now,
whether it was yesterday. or whether it
VIII be tomorrow is of little consequence to
The grand. eternal philosophy Of nature.
/ IL is Tie object Of its formation, as it WAS
the object Of the earths formation. Therein
is everything. The moment the hour IS OF
little account
Doubtless the planet may now be inhabited
by beings different from US, living, perhaps,
III an aerial condition IN the upper regions OF
It's atmosphere, above the logs and YapOrS OF
the lower strata, feeding on the aerial fluid
itself, resting on the wind, like the eagle in
the tempest, and ever dwelling IN the upper
heights Of Jovian heavens.
That would not be a dlsagTeeable abode,
although an auti-terrrs trial one. Indeed tt
would be like the abode Of old Jupiter Oiym-
pus and his court But If We do not wish.
il our conceptions OF life. to stray too far
from the borders OF the terrestrial cradle,
there is nothing to prevent US from waiting
until the planet has become cool. Ike our
- oTD, and enjoys q purified atmosphere,
which Will permit It's being compared with
the earth.
And what would be better prepared to be
the abode OF superior lie? 1t is the pre-
pOBdeTant globe OF the whole solar family,
lie yastest in surface. the most important
as regards mass, the most favored through
the position OF its axis, the most uniform IN
It's course, rich in the possession OF four
satellites and throned ike a chief amid the
planetary orbits. What marvellous con-
dlti0us are prepared in this abode for the
development OF life, intelligence and hap
piness. All, how much superior Will such
humanity be 10 ours.
LAND OF THE ICTHYOsAURUs.
It is impossible for Us TO imagine that the
existence Of the stars can have any other
object than that Of receiving CT giving life.
LIE. Such is the grand object which we
see shining IN the deStinies Of the creation.
The absence OF life is to Us a synonym for
death and n0thngness. Our logic refuses
to believe that tie millions Of suns which
aTe burning in infinite space are Of no use
and they neither iilumiDe, warm nor govern
anything.
AMI If they ara useful for something for
Us, this Something Is life, under whatever
form it may be, from the simplest blade of
grass up 10 the highest most intelligent
most powerful mind
If the gigantic world Of Jupiter is now
undergoing those conditions Of tenn eTatuTe
that marked the primitive epOchS Of the
earth, We cannot consider 1t as being at
present the seat of intel ectuai life.
II is the land Of the icthyosaurus, but not
that Of man; not the calm and tranquil
world which is necessary for the manifesto
ton Of a delicate nervous system and of
contemplating thought. 1t is only later, in
the future ages, that jupiter viii be inhab-
tied by an intellectual race; and VINO knows
whether. perhaps, 1t may not be ourselves?
Its situation then viii be aDcOmparably
superior to that OF the earth-an Immense
empire, a perpetual spring. long years and
a mild, uIyarying temperature will form an
abode Of peace and happiness truly worthy
Of our mbition and our hopes.
THE PLANETS SATELLITES.
This majestic world travels IN space ac-
companied Dy four enormous satellites. In
what condition are these four worlds? Are
they not themselves, and have they not been
for long time, the seat of organic life, and
o. Intellectual one?
D9es not Jupiter's globe furnish them
with a modicum Of heat. ana is il not TO
them a scarcely extinct sun? The superior
volume and masses Of this planet as il
moves on, surrounded by these satellites.
are 4 reproduction Of the image Of the
sun itself in the midst Of its four nearer
planets--Mercury, Venus, Mars and the
earth-fOT the distances and relative vol
Umes Of JupiteT's four satellites form q sys-
TEN which is singulaTly analogous t. that Of
tie four planets Of the great solar system.
Each one Of the four worlds Of the Jovian
system has its special years, its days, and,
doubtless, also Its seasons; and the inhabit-
ants Of each Of them have also the same
reasons for believing themselves at the
center Of the entire universe as the inhab-
itauts Of our little earth, who, during so
many ages have dreamed the same dream.
To them Jupter's globe has the aspect Of
q gigantic moon, which IS capable OF etfectu-
ally compromising for the small quantity Of
light they receive from the sun. Regarded
from the first Of the satellites, his immense
globe appears 400 times greater in surface
than our full moon.
What a colossus! Even from the outer
most satellite, the apparent surface of Jup-
ter still exceeds by seventy-fve times that
which the moon exhibits to US What mag
uhcent sights are to be contemplated from
these obserVatOnsl Colossal Jupiter is the
most marvellous object Of their heavens; to
them he is the sovereign of the universe
the true Jupiter-and they admire him no
less than we admire the sun
For to them the sun is only a small, brill
liant disk, while viewed from the first satei-
lite the immense globe Of Jupiter exceeds it