Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-01-05
ANNAPOLIS Md TUESDAY EVENING JANUARY 5, 1892
GREATEST OF WORLDS.
( THOUSAND EARTAs m ONE &c
PLANET.

carIous Chapter BY Fsmoas Frspsh
Astronomer ON Planet Now In ksn.
I.a3A Times Our siEs-A world for
Jove.
Camille Flammarion writes thus in the
Arenu.
or all the floating islands which com
pose the celestial archipelago 10 which
the earth belongs, the planet ccnsecrated
from the remotest age to Jupiter the
mighty, king of gods and men. is the
vastest, themost important, and the most
majestic. This colossal world Of jupiter
las a diameter Of about IS, 900 miles. aud
which surpasses that OF our earth by
more than II times.
The circumference of Jupiter's warid
at the equator is about 275.000 miles.
The volume of this giant exceeds that OF
the earth by ,2S4 times.
This immense globe seen at the dis.
tance at which we are situated from Tho
moon would appear TO us with a diam
eter about 40 times larger than that 81
our satellite. and the surface Of ITS DISK
would embrace ON the celestial vault an
extent 900 times greater than that OF
the full moon
This giant Of the worlds travels
through space, accompanied by a ietinut
OF four satellites, at mean distance OF
496, 100000 miles from the sun, and
which is more than five time greater than
that Of the earth from the same
Its orbit is more than 1000. 600, ,00C
miles in extent, and through this it passes
in 1882 days. or II years, 10 months, and
II days. Such is theyear Of this immense
globe.
In order to complete its entire Orbit
during this period 1t speeds around tho
sun with a velocity of 100000 miles a
day, or a little more than eight miles
second This is little less than half tho
velocity OF the earth in its orbit. But i.
revolyes on its axis with a very great
swiftness, for its day and night combined
only last about nine hours and 45 min.
vites.
In other words the inhabitants of Jupi
ter enjoy only five hours OF real day twi.
light included. "If, says Kant. IAN in.
habitant of Jupiter should die in child.
hood, having lived but one year on that
planet, he would be as old as child who
should die on our globe at the age of II
years and 814 days.
"The terrestrial child would have
lived about 103, ,968 Of Jupiters days. and
the child on Jupiter, 400, 800 of the earth's
days
1t is 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 charac-
teristic heat sufficiently intense to pre-.
vent manifestation of life9 And is
this globe still at the present time not in
the state of luminous star, but in the
condition of dark and burning one, en-.
tirely liquid, or scarcely covered with a
first hardened crust, as the earth was be.
fore life began to appear on its surfacel
Or, indeed, is this colossal planet in
that condition of temperature through
which our own world passed through tha
primary period of its geological epochs
when life began to show itself under
strange forms, as animal and vegetable
beings of astonishing vitality amid the
convulsions and tempests of the new
born world? The last is the most ra.
tional conclusion that we can draw from
the most recent and exact observations
to whicl, We are indebted for what we
know of the present state Of this vast
world.
Whether Jupiter be inhabited now,
whether it was yesterday or whether it
win be to morrow, is of little consequence
to the grand. eternal philosophy OF nat
ure. Life is the object Of its formation as il
was the object of the earth's formation.
Therein is everything. The moment, the
hour, is of little account.
Doubtless the planet may now be in.
habited by beings different from us Iiv
ing, perhaps, in an aerial condition in the
upper regions Off atmosphere. above
the fogs and vapors of the lower strata
feeding on the aerial fluid itself. resting
on the wind, like the eagle in the tempest
and every dwelling in the upper heights
Of the Jovian heavens.
That would not be q disagreeable abode.
although an anti-terrestrlal one. Indeed,
il would be like the abode of old Jupiter
Olympus and his court. But il we do
not wish, in our conception 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. like our own. and en-
Joy q purified atmosphere. which viii
permit its being compared with the
earth.