The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-08-28
THE PLANET JUPITER
A Monster World, 1900 Times
the Size of Ours.
WHIRLs WITH AWFUL SPEED.

WHIRLS WITH AWFUL SPEED.
II Spins Around at Such q Fearful
Gait That q Furious Gale Perpetual
ly Eneircles Its Equator-Its Posi-
bic Inhabitants and It's Moons.
1t is curious how little the average
person knows about Jupiter. He has
heard a lot, too much perhaps, about
Mars, but hat world, 1900 times the
size of ours. whirling in the terrible
outer distance of space with its five
moons, It's IA months yearly, known
as Jupiter Is almost IL not quite a mys.
terry.
In the first place, Jupiter, according
to se.ae astronomers, is Inhabited.
So are some of its moons, in the
midst Of which the great planet spins
around like a top at such tremendous
speed that it causes around the equator
a furious wind that blows perpetually
at a rate of about $50 miles an hour.
In the midst of this never ending,
bowling gale live the Jovians. Some
astronomers say that because Jupiter
Is 81 much bigger and heavier than
the earth no creature Of any weight
can support Itself. A man weighing
200 pounds on this earth would, If car
ried to Jupiter, weigh 500 pounds, and,
reasoning thus, they believe that moth
ing bigger than a cat could stand on
this vast world.
But this IN no doubt a mistake. IL
Jupiter stood still or revolved no faster
than our earth all that astronomy says
would be true, and a terrestrial man
could not stand upon its surface. But
as a fact the tremendous rate Of revo-
luton is so much faster than the
earth's that In spite Of its monstrous
size 1t turns about In less than ten
hours as against a t~wenty.four
hours.
AZ it 10, q man Of normal earthly
size. IL transported to the equator Of
Jupiter, would actually feel much
lighter than he does here on earth, BE-
cause the swift rotation Of the planet
would almost lift him from his fest
and throw him into the heavens. He
would feel 60 light that the $50 mile
IN hour tornado that blows incessaot-
" would pick him up and carry him
around and around the planet like q
speck Of dust.
In order to keep ON his feet the
Jovian man or woman would have to
be about City feet tall. Some Of them
would doubtless reach the height Of
dfty-five feet. Like all big bodies. the
Jovian would have a tendency to slow
ness of motion. Having once seated
himself, he would spend a good twelve
hours at his breakfast and perhaps
eighteen at his dinner and would prob
ably throw Up his job II his employer
allowed him less than six hours for
his lunch.
The oceans Of Jupiter, torn into fury
by the hurricanes, would pay nc atten-
ton to one moon such as moves the
tides on u earth. and 1t takes no
fewer than eve of these satellites to
perform this work for Jupiter. They
travel at vasteus rates of speed. some
flying very close to Jupiter's surface
and others fer OF. They have atmoe
pheres somewhat like ours on earth,
and a moonlight on Jupiter is indeed q
glorious sight for these Moons have a
variety Of co:ors. Two are blue, ons
10 yellow ape n red.
Jupiter nesds all It's noon at night
for Illumination. for without them its
ave hours Of darkness would be black
indeed. 30 distant Is the sun that
broad dayligas Is hardly brighter than
twilight on ~srth. and one lone moon
would not r~1ect enough Of the sun's
rays to guide the Jovian footsteps.
In the pola, and semipolar areas the
go mile an sour tornado Of the eQua-
tor is not prsrent. Doubtless there are
eddies and q. -astonal w%indstorms such
a. there are n earth. And in these
localities 1t g possible for smaller
creatures to .list. and here, too. vege-
tation would flourish. The food SUI.
ply of Jupit<s must come from these
areas, where It Is cultivated and ship
ped to the equatorial regions by the
OAL0AAulIVc luScS. LUG POl0E O(S0Ao
are not frozen because Of the great
internal heat Of Jupiter. And on these
still ear probably ships not greatly
different from our ply, but about the
equator the unending storm would
make surface sailing impossible.
II there are ships at all at the equa-
tor they are s%ubmarines. which dive
into the calm depths beneath the sur.
face. Locomotion by dying machines
u extremely easy on the equator DO.
cause. by taking advantage Of the
wind. the Jovians can navigate their
planet ut tremendous speed.
It 10 possible that because Of the
noise In the wind swept equator the
JoviAn Il deaf.
Quite likely. on tho other hand, be
has good ears. but with q device, either
artificial OF contributed by nature, for
stopping his ears. except when be
wishes to listen.
MAJ