Year: 1877

The Rings of Saturn.

 It is clear that all the peculiarities hitherto observed in the Saturnian ring system are applicable so soon as we re- gard that system as made up of multi tudes of small bodies. Varieties of brightness simply indicate various de- grees of condensation of these small satellites. Thus the outer ring had than the inner. Of course it did not seem impossible that the outer ring might be made of different materials ; yet there was something bizarre in the supposition that two rings forming the same system were thus different in sub- stance. It would not have been at all noteworthy if different parties of the same ring differed in luminosity-in fact, it was much more remarkable that each zone of the system seemed uni formly bright all round. But that one zone should be of one tint, another of an entirely different tint, was strange circumstance so long as the only availa- ble interpretation seemed to be that one zone was made (throughout) of one substance, the other of another. If this was strange when the difference be- tween the inner and the outer bright rings was alone considered, how much stronger it did seem when the multi tudinous divisions in the rings were taken into account Why should the ring system, 10000 miles in width, be thus divided into zones of different ma terial? An arrangemen so artificial is quite unlike all that is elsewhere seen among the subjects of the astronomers researches. But when the rings are re- garded as made up of multitudes of small bodies, we can quite readily un- derstand how the early circular move ments of all of these, at different rates, should result in the formation of rings of aggregation and rings of Segregation, appearing at the earth's distance as bright rings and faint rings. The dark ring clearly corresponds in ap- pearance with a ring of clearly scat tered satellites. Indeed, it seems im- possible otherwise to account for the ap- pearance of dusky belt across the globe of the planet where the dark ring crosses the disk. If the material of the dark ring were some partly transparent solid or fluid substance, the light of the planet received through the dark ring, added to the light reflected by the dark ring itself, would be so nearly equiva- lent to the light received from the rest of the planets disk, that either no dark belt would be seen. or the darkening would be barely discernible. In some positions bright belt would be seen, not dark one. But ring of scattered satellites would cast as it's shadow a multitude of black spots, which would give to the belt in shadow dark gray aspect. A considerable proportion of these spots would be hidden by the sat- elites forming the dark ring, and in every case where spot was wholly or partially hidden by satellite, the eff 1 feet Cat our distant stations where the different satellites of the dark rings are not discernible) would simply be to reduce pro tdnto the darkness of the gray belt of shadow. But certainly more than half the shadow of the satel- lites would remain in sight, for the darkness of the ring at the time of it's discovery showed that the satellites were very sparsely strewn. And these shadows would be sufficient to give to the belt a dusky hue, such as it pre- sented when first discovered .-Fraser's | Mdqdzine.