Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1908-09-03
sHEPHERDsTOWN, VA. THURSDAY SEPTEMBER g. 1908.
Ths Planet Jupiter.


person knows about Jupiter. HshAI
heard lot, too much perhaps, about
Mars, but that world, 1900 times the
size Of ours, whirling in the terrible
outer distance Of space with its 6vs
moons, its 144 months yearly, known
a. Jupiter, il almost if not quite = mys.
terry.
In the hrst place, Jupiter, accord
Ing TO some astronomer, is inhabited.
So are some Of its moons, in the midst
Of which the great planet spins around
like top at such tremendous speed
that it causes around the equator fu-
riouI wind that blows psrpstu.lly at
& rate of about $50 miles an hour.
In the midst of this never ending
bowling gale live the JOvisnI. Some
astronomers say that because Jupiter
is so much bigger and heavier than
the earth no creature Of any weight
can support Itself A man weighing
200 pounds o this earth would, ifcar-
ri'd to Jupiter, weigh 500 pounds,
and. reasoning thus, they believe that
nothing bigger than = cat could stand
on this vast world.
But this is no doubt g mistake. If
Jupiter stood still or rsvolvod no fast
or than our earth all that astronomy
says would be true, and = terrestrial
man could not stand upon its surface.
But a. fact the tremendous rate of
revolution is 30 much faster than the
eGrth'S that in spite Of its monsErouS
size it turns about in less than ter
hours as against our twenty-four hours.
AS it is, a man Of normal earthly
size, if transported to the equator of
Jupiter, would actually feel much
lighter than be does here on earth be-
cause the swift rotation oi the planet
would almost lift him from his feet
and throw him into the heavens. he
would feel 80 light that the $50 mile
an hour tornado that blows inoSssant-
ly wJuld pick him up aud carry him
around and around the planet like a
speck Of dust.
In order to keep on his feet the
JoViGn man or woman would have to
be about fifty feet tall. Some Of them
would dSubtleGI reach the height Of
6fty-hVs feet. Like all big bodies,
the JoVian would have q tendency to
slowneGs Of motion. Having once
seated himself, he would spend a good
twelve hours at his breakfast and per
haps eighteen at his dinner and would
probably throw up his job if his en-
ployer allowed him less than six hours
for his lunch.
The oceans Of Jupiter. torn into fu
ry BY the hurricanes, would pay no
attention to one moon such ~ moves
the tides on our Sarth, and it takes no
fewer than FIVE Of these satellites to
perform this work for Jupiter. They
travel at various rates Of speed, some
flying very close to Jupitsr's surface
and others far of. They have itmoS-
phsrsa somewhat like ours on earth,
and q moonlight on Jupiter is indeed
q glorious sight, for those moons have
variety Of colors. Two are blue, one
is yellow and enc is red.
Jupiter needs all Its moons at night
for illumination, for without than its
FIVE hours Of darkness would be black
indeed. SO distant is the sun that
broad daylight is hardly brighter than
twilight on earth, aud one lone moon
would not reflect enough Of the sun e
rays to guide the JoVian footStsp'-
In the polar and semi-pOlsr areas the
$50 mile an hour tornado Of the squa-
tor is not present. Doubtless there
are sddies and occasional windsIormI
such a. there are on earth. And in
these localities it is possible for small
or creatures to eXiSt, and here, too,
vegetation would flourish.
The food supply Of Jupiter must
come from these areas, where it is oul-
tivatsd and snipps to the 'q I4'1riIl
regions BY the diminutiVe races. The
great polar oceans are not frozen be-
cause of the great internal heat Of Ju-
piter. Aud on these great oceans
probably ships not greatly different
from ours ply, bat about the equator
tn. unsnding storm would make sur
face sailing impOssibls. If tt.re are
ships at all at the squAtor they are
submarines, which dive into the c.lm
depths beneath the surface. LooOnO-
ton by flying machines ia sItrsnsly
easy on the equator beStu's, bJ tax.
ing advantas. Of the win !, Gls JoTi4us
can navigate thsir planet at tren.u.
dous speed.
It uoaibls that because OF the