Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-06-21

piter and distances on the earth For
Instance. the American continent he
tween New York and san Francisco Is
about 1900 miles across On Jupiter 81
would be about 3}.uOO miles across
1 de Pacific ocean stretched 10 the scale
o. Jupiter would be 10000 miles
broad. aud the swiftest ship yet built
driven continually al top speed would
require SIX weeks to cross IT.
II the city of New York occupied the
same relative space on Jupiter that IT
does on the earth it would he I1J miles
long from the Battery 10 Youkers tine
equal TO the actual distance between
New York and Baltimore Everything
would be stretched in similar proper
lions. The avenues would be thou
sand feet wide and office buildings
several thousand feet high The height
or the Metropolitan tower would be
nearly q mile ard a half
One naturally thinks of the inhabit-
ants. Would they be constructed on me
same Rrobdingnacian scale: II thev
were, an ordinary man ON Jupiter
would be about sixty feet tail some
of the big Broadway policemen might
measure seventy feet in their STOCKINGS
But a man seventy feet tall would
on the earth weigh at least 100000
pounds. while on Jupiter. where the
force OF gravity is more than two au1
a half times as great a. on the earth
Y. GJ. his weight would be GSJ.OOU
pounds!
This is evidently more than flesh anG
blood could bear, and. accordingly. II
has generally been assumed that the
Inhabitants Of immense worlds Ike
Jupiter iii there be any must be small.
CT instead Of larger than those OF the
earth. for otherwise they could not
even stand erect. If We suppose the
proportion Of size TO h. inverse 10 that
OF the force of attraction. or the crav.
ity. then an average Iuhahitant OF JuuI.
ter ought to De but little more than twu
feet TALL.
These considerations. however. Do
pot affect Une area OF the EeoEraTh!Cal
features OF the planet; hut. Uu the con
trury, they make II possible To- calcu.
late FOR Jupiter an almost incredible
population II Jupiter nHd continents
OF :he same relative size ~ ours. con
tanning the same number OF iHhThit-
ants per unit area. IL could hold. with
out being any more crowded tnan the
earth u hundred and eighty thousand
million inhabitants But II the Inhublt
ants were mere dwarf~ the number
might be Increased TO a thousand thou
sand millions without StraIninG he pro
uuctive energies OF the planet TO main
tain them,
These calculations have been giver
merely In order 10 make the size OF
Jupiter as compared with the eartf
more striEiuGIy apparent ana uot be
cause there * any reason TO think tina
Jupiter actually has any continents OF
oceans or any inhabitants resembling
men and women The fact Is that .lu
piter appears 10 be a globe which ha'
tot yet sOIiditicd IL l.. aS have said
! 300 times larger than the earth. bu
# Is only 3IG times heavier. whirl
shows that its mean density is Oni.
about quarter of that Of the earth
A. far u the telescope shows Jupite
Is an enormous globe OF clouds. win
out anything solid about H. Their
may be solid nucleus. but II 50 /
cannot be seen.
Jupiter is a planet that is cooling OF
and contracting and getting ready L
soidify aud 10 receive the gifts tina
are bestowed in due time upon ali new
born worlds which are Intended TO sur
uprt inhabitants 10 watch II with