Year: 1875

THE majestic rings of Saturn really con
stitute the most singular and astonishing
phenomena that have yet been discovered
within the limits of our solar system.
Around the planet Saturn, at distance of
10000 miles above its equator, an immense
ring, flat and relatively very thin, sur
rounds il on all sides. The ring is fol
lowed by second, and this one by n
third. These rings do not remain inn
movable, but are carried along with a cir
Cular movement around the planet, and
with much greater rapidity than that of
Saturn upon its axis. The rings of Saturn
were first observed by Calico, soon after
he invented the telescope, in the year 1910.
He saw on each side of Saturn something
bright of which he could not distinguish
thelform, and was greatly astonished with
such a peculiar aspect. The figure of the
planet appeared so singular that he
thought il consisted of a large globe with
a smaller one on each side. Calico first
announced his remarkable discovery under
ap anagram, which greatly puzzled the
astronomers of his time. 1t was then the
custom among astronomers to disguise
their discoveries as much as possible in
order that they might have time TO bring
them to- perfection Soon after Galileo's
discovery he wrote the following letter to
an astronomical friend "When | OBJ
serve Saturn the central star appears the
largest two others, situated one to the
east, the other to the west, and on line
which does not coincide with the ccliptic,
seem 10 touch it. They are like two
servants who enable old Saturn to con
tinue his road and they remain always at
his side. With glass of small power the
star appears heightened and of an olive
form"


Calico sought in vain. Being entirely
discouraged he longer observed Saturn
and died without knowing that the ring
existed Ii was Huyghns, a distinguished
Dutch philosopher, who first explained
the mystery about fifty years after Calico
discovered the rings. He observed Saturn
with telescopes of greater magnifying
power than those which had been enl-
plOyed by Calico and soon made the dis
cOvery that this planet was surrounded by
"vast luminous ring unconnected with
the body of the planet"


The rings of Saturn have always been
an enigma to astronomers. 1t was long
before they could give any account of this
singular appendage in the planetary sys-
tenn. "In the middle of the eighteenth
! century Maupertuis conjectured that the
ring was only a comets tail, wound like a
turban round the Saturnian globe" La
Place showed that if the rings were solid,
and of the same thickness throughout,
they would soon fall down upon the
planet and be destroyed. He therefore
supposed them of irregular density. Not
many years ago Prof Pierce found that
the same catastrophe would occur even in
| this case, and he concluded that they were
! fluid. 1t soon became doubtful whether a
! fluid ring would be any more stable and
Prof. Pierce conceived the idea that it was
held up by the attraction of the satellites.
The theory is now generally accepted by
astronomers that the ring is neither solid
nor fluid, but is n swarm of small
bodies Qittle moons), which looks solid
owing to the great distance at which we
view it. The rings of Saturn can be quite
easily perceived through an astronomical
telescope. What purpose these rings sub
serve in the economy of our solar system
astronomical science is at present unable
to explain. AS the rings shine by reflect
ing the suns light some astronomers have
supposed that they were intended TO illu-
inmate Saturn and compensate for his
great distance from the solar orb. But
Prof. Proctor has shown that this cannot
be the case, as the rings actually inter
ccpt the sunshine. There seems to be a
certain incompleteness about these ap-
pendages which has baffled the most per
sistent efforts of astronomers to explain
and Prof. Mitchell was led to remark that


" Saturn's rings were left unfinished to


show us how the world was made. "A.


X. Bartlett, IN Detroit Free Press.