The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-22
ASTRONOMER TELLS
HOW PLANETS CROW
Prof. 7. J. j. See Makes An
nOuncement to American
Philosophical Society.

PHILADELPHIA, April 2l.-Discov-
cries in cosmosical evolution lending
to the development of an entirely now
science, the science of cosmogony. were
announced today to the American
Philosophical society at It's annual
meeting by Prof, T. J. J. See, govern
ment astronomer in charge of the naval
observatory at Marc island. Califor
| MIA.
He said he had travelled 5000 miles to
| give eastern men Of science first
hand account of his recent discoveries,
which he stated have aroused interest
in learned circles throughout the world;
Professor See was formerly in charge OF
the large telescope OF the naval obser-
vatory in Washington, and while there
is said to have made the most refined
measures of the planets and satellites
yet accomplished For seven years he
has been in California studying tho
cause of earthquakes and mountain
formations besides. making discoveries
in cosmogony.
Among the results announced today
was a link in the chain of reasoning
establishing the laws OF. the evolution
of the solar system showing that the
planets originally were small bodies
forming at great distance from the
sun and that their masses have been
increased by gathering up all manner
of lesser masses from meteorites TO
satellites.
Collisions in this nebular resisting
medium have reduced the size of the
orbits immensely and made them such
exact circles that the Greek philoso
piers believed the deity had set the
planets revolving in round orbits be
cause the circle is perfect figure.
These collisions, which have rounded
up the planetary orbits and brought the
satellites nearer the several planets
have also indented the face of The
moon and give rise to large craters
which were formerly believed TO be vol.
canic, but are now proved to be due
to the impact of satellites against the
lunar surface.
Professor See cited the investigations
of Professor Lehmann-Filhes of the
University OF Berlin, and of Professor
Stromgren of the royal observatory of
Copenhagen, rs verifying his discov
cries on the lunar craters, and said
their truth was now established for
ever. -.l.
Professor See outlined the process. by
which the planets had been built up
out of matter once circulating In our
ueDuld as cOUetS and SalQ Unc deSlruc-
tion of the comets was still causing
showers of cosmical dust to fall on the
planets, as witnessed in the celebra ted
star showers of 1899, 1883 and 1866
Our system was once literally filled
with comets and Kepler was right, he
said, when he declared there were as
many comets in the heavens as there
were fish in the sea.
"And just as the planets had been
captured and added to our sun from
without said Professor See. $50 also
the satellites have been captured and
| added on to the several planets Even
our moon is a planet which camo to us
from the heavenly spaces and was never
thrown out of the Pacific ocean as was
formerly thought by Lord Kelvin,
Darwin, Poincaire and their followers !"
Professor See laid special stress on
the proof now deduced that planetary
systems similar to our own revolve
about all the fixed stars and ali the
planets are inhabited like our planet
which revolves about the sun. He said
life was a perfectly general phenom-
enon in the universe and that living
beings exist wherever a star twinkles
in the depths of space