Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-12-16
IS WORLDS END NEAR?'
Conjunction OF Planets With
Earth 2 A. NJ. Tomorrow
GIVES RISE TO DISCUSSION

some six or eight planets 10 the sun
has given rise TO much local discussion
relating 10 il being a sign" that the
earth is coming to an end. Minds OF
some people have been more or less
disturbed. in certain parts of the coan-
+. try. especially al Porto Rica.
! AS there has been some recent talk
in the daily press about the possible
dissolution of the solar system on &C
count of the fact that six of the eight
planets are on one side of the sun, a
representative of The Capital inter-
viewed DR. Samuel Garner, who gives
much time to the study of astronomy
and asked him what he thought OF the
subject He replied:
Nothing To he Feared
We'll, as am only an amateur as
, tronomer. have no right TO pronounce
a dictional opinion There are, o
course. many ways by which the solar
system might be thrown out OF keller
but | do not think that any thing is to
be feared from the present position ..
the planets. II anything were going Il
happen, il would have cone to pass
long ago, as the planets, referred 10
have been approaching superior con
junction for several months; and the
fact that they will be nearest the line
of conjunction on December II Go-
morrow would make no appreciable
difference The smash would have
come long ago.
"It is one of the common places Of
other slightly out Of their regular
orbital paths, when they are in SUI
perior conjunction, that is. when they
are on the same side OF the sun 1t
was in this way that the last OF the
planets, Neptune, was discovered in
next planet TO it, Uranus. was being
porturbed In its orbit. They naturally
inferred that there must be some un-
charted body near it, causing the dis
turbance when the data of its prob
able position had been worked out, no
difficulty was experienced in finding
the stranger, Neptune. This discovery
is considered one of the greatest tri
hmphs Of astronomy
Planets Readjust Themselves
Coming to the point in question,
may say that the different bodies OF
OF years, become so delicately adjusted
to each other in their courses around
the sun that no matter what position
they may occupy with reference to
each other, their orbital motions will
be only temporarily perturbed and
they will readjust themselves as soon
as the perturbing force is removed
This is what Herbert Spencer meant
when he said that the bodies Of the
solar system are in state of moving
equilibrium. This has been brought
about by the controlling influence
which the sun exercises over all the
bodies that are in, or may come into
the system. This control is so power
full that 1t seems to me folly to talk
about any aggregation even Of all the
planets exercising a sufficient attract
i've influence to disturb. to a dangerous
whole system
Present Alignment
Moreover it must be remembered
that the present alignment of the
planets has occurred hundreds OF
times within the range of mans knowl-
edge, and We have no record of any
harm being done 10 the inhabitants of
the earth II there had been. history
would certainly have given some ac-
count of it. AS far as we can get back
in history, men have been studying the
heavens and found out many wonder
full things about them long before we
had any science OF astronomy.
81 think | may say. therefore, that
everybody may go to bed tonight con-
fidently believing that they will wake
up tomorrow morning, finding that the
planets are all doing business at the
same old stand as usual"
Annapolis Unperturbed
When the planets swing into line al
a. M tomorrow Annapolis will be
all set for whatever occurs. The best
aONic6 mere on matters ASTRONOMICAL II
that nothing whatever win happen
The charted course and time table
of the heavens indicate that al the
, time mentioned, a. m. tomorrow
morning. Uranus will be on one side
of the earth and on the other side
lined up will be Mercury. Venus. Mara
Jupiter. Saturn and Neptune. All will
/ be in the constellation of Leo.
| Prof. Albert F. Porta, the celebrated
Italian astronomer has predicted that
when these planets toe the mark there
will be a releasing of essential forces
and that something will smash to-
gether. while other things will fall
apart. resulting in great confusion, al
| most as bad as the threatened fuel
J conservation program. Reports say
shat Professor Forta Will be up and
on the job al the critical moment
Calmness prevails in Annapolis
where even the visits OF Kings ana
Princes much less the nearness OF
seven nlanptS8 does MOI disturb tie