The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-12-31
MYSTERIOUS ASTEROIDS.

N astronomy is The flock of little
splanets called asteroids. which re
volve between the orbits Of Mars and
Jupiter. at an average distance from the
sun almost three times as great as that
Of the earth These little worlds are al
together n discovery OF the nineteenth
century. The first one known was found
with the telescope on the first night Of
the century-January !, 1901. At present
nearly five hundred have been discovered.
and there may be thousands. Astrono-
mcrs no i0ugo- take the trouble 10 search
for them with telescopes they find them
ROW by photography.
1t mas always been an interesting qucs-
ton. how did the asteroids originate
The other planets relatively of immense
size are virtually independent. each pur-
suing it's orbit. separated by tens of mill
lions and even hundreds Of millions Of
miles from its nearest rivals, and pre-
siding as it were over its own domain i'm
space. Bu; the little asteroids throng in
a manner which irresistibly suggests a
family tie connecting them.
One IL the first suggestions ever Of
fered 20 account for their existence in
such numbers was that they were the
fragments of an exploded world. which
once c.rcled about the sun within the
orbit " Jo..iter. %u5oa: las e.ei ouu"n
any satisfactory reason for believing that
a world could be blown to pieces. Yet
tie theory that that was the origin Of
tie asteroids has never been entirely
abandoned.
Many years ago an American astrOuo-
mer. Daniel KirlSwood showed shat the
asteroids travel I'm zones separated BY
broad gaps. and he undertook 10 prove
that the great planet Jupiter. by virtue
Of his proximity and his overwhelming
grayitauou. had driven the little planets
out of their original orbits ana com
pclled them 20 flock together in certain
zones whore his disturbing Influence
would lee less felt
NOW a French astronomer. NJ. Frey
ciuet has taken M the investigation.
End some of his results possess great
interest and value. lie begins with the
assumption that at the start the asteroids
were NOT single planet. but vast ring
OF matter revolving around the sun. The
disturbing attraction of the larger plan
cts broke mp this ring. and it thus
became separated into "a great number
OF little bodies. the largest only a few
hundred miles iu diameter. Then, very
much ia the way first pointed out by Mr..
Nirkwuod, the asteroids were forced 20
travel ia a number of separate zones.
N I'rryciuet says there are eight of
these zones or rings. the average width
being about twcuty-siN million miles I'm
one of the zones a. many as 40 OF the
tiny worlds are travelling In another
siNty-niuc. but ia a third only one single
asteroid has yet been discovered
These Investigations awaken admiration
because they demonstrate anew The ahii-
Ity of the astronomer 10 deal with things
far beyond our physical reach with
sureues, and accuracy quite comparable
with the calculations Of an engineer.
whose problems are concerned only with
things az which tine surveyors chain and
the pocket rule can be directly ap-
piled.
The study Of the motions Of the aste-
rods is strictly akin 10 that of the mo-
tons Of the missing November meteors.
In both cases the problem is to deter
mine the effect of the mutual attractions
OF the bodies composing the solar system
upon the positions and movements of
these bodies.
A huge globe like Jupiter. or even a
comparatively very small globe like the
earth, keeps the even tenor OF its way
Notwithstanding the interference Of its
PARKWAY fellow planets II feels the ef-
feet of their attraction and yields q little,
bat still maintains its position IN the
system. and If a wandering comet or mo
tcor swarm comes near. so much the
worse for the comet or the meteOrs: the
steady going planet is not disturbed.
But the case is difficult with bodies
as minute as the asteroids Some OF them
are so Insignificant that comet as mas
sive as that OF 1911 might actually drag
them away in its train, and when tho
overwhelming power of Jupiter com
Tnands they must obediently quit their
original paths and move into other orbits
that are chosen for them by him.
Every step i'm advance made by this
kind Of knowledge shows us more clearly
how Intimate is the influence OF the Vari-
Gus planets upon one another. In place
of the dreams of the old astrologers, who
believed that each planet exercised con-
troll over the lives and fortunes of the
men born under its ascendency, we have
the picture of great system OF worlds.
swayed By their mutual attraction. and.
like the members OF an intelligent COM
munity, each finding its interests af-
fected by the positions and movements
of the others. And among planets no
less than among men the rule appears
TO be that the weakest must go 10 the
wall.
Copyright, 1901