that other fragments of a similar description may be discovered. Dr. Brewster attributes the fall of meteoric stones* to the smaller fragments of these bodies happening to come within the sphere of the earth's attraction. His ingenious reasonings on this subject, and in support of Dr. Olbers' hypothesis above stated, may be seen in Edin. Ency. vol. ii. p. 641, and in his " Supplementary chapters to Ferguson's Astronomy." The facts to which I have now adverted seem to unfold a new scene in the history of the dispensations of the Almighty, and to warrant the conclusion, that the earth is not the only globe in the universe which is subject to physical changes and moral revolutions. The Planet Jupiter.-This planet is 490 millions of miles distant from the sun, and performs its annual revolution in nearly twelve of our years, moving at the rate of twenty-nine thousand miles an hour. It is the largest planet in the solar system; being 89,000 miles in diameter, or about fourteen hundred times larger than the earth. Its motion round its axis is performed in nine hours and fifty-six minutes; and, therefore, the portions of its surface about the equator move at the rate of 28,000 miles an hour, which is nearly twenty-seven times swifter than the earth's diurnal rotation. The figure of Jupiter is that of an oblate spheroid, the axis, or diameter passing through the poles, being about 6000 miles shorter than that passing through the equator. The Earth, Saturn, and Mars are also spheroids; and it is highly probable that Mercury, Venus, and Herschel are of a similar figure, though the fact has not yet been ascertained by actual observation. When viewed with a telescope, several spots have been occasionally discovered on the surface of this planet, by the motion of which, its rotation was determined. But what chiefly distinguishes the surface of Jupiter is several streaky appearances, or dusky strips, which extend across his disk, in lines parallel to his equator. These are generally • Meteoric stones, or, what are generally termed aerolites, are stones which sometimes fall from the upper regions of the atmosphere, upon the earth.The substance of which they are composed is, for the most part, metallic; but the ore of which they consist is not to be found in the same constituent proportions in any terrestrial substances. Their fall is generally preceded by a luminous appearance, a hissing noise, and a loud explosion; and, when found immediately after their descent, are always hot.Their size differs, from small fragments, of inconsi derable weight, to the most ponderous masses. Some of the largest portions of these stones have been found to weigh from 300 lbs. to several tons; and they have often descended to the earth with a force sufficient to bury them many feet under the soil.Some have supposed that these bodies are projected from volcanoes in the moon; others, that they proceed from volcanoes on the earth; while others imagine that they are generated in the regions of the atmosphere; but the true cause is, probably, not yet ascertained. In some instances, these stones have penetrated through the roofs of houses, and proved destructive to the inhabitants. termed his belts. Three of these belts, or zonel nearly equi-distant from each other, are mest tree quently observed; but they are not regular et constant in their appearance. Sometimes y one is to be seen, sometimes five, and sometimes seven or eight have been distinctly visible; and. in the latter case, two of them have been anGS B to disappear during the time of observation. Ca the 28th May, 1780, Dr. Herschel perceived "the whole surface of Jupiter covered with smal curved belts, or rather lines, that were not es tinuous across his disk." Though these behs are generally parallel to each other, yet they are not always so. Their breadth is likewise variable; one belt having been observed to grow narrow, while another in its neighbourhood has increased in breadth, as if the one had flowed into the other. The time of their continuance is also uncertain; sometimes they remain unchanged for several months, at other times, new belts have been formed in an hour or two. What these belts or variable appearances are it is difăcult to determine. Some have regarded them as strata of clouds floating in the atmosphere of Jopiter; while others imagine, that they are the marks of great physical revolutions which are perpetually changing the surface of that plaret, The former opinion appears the most probable. But, whatever be the nature of these belts, the sudden changes to which they are occasionally subject, seem to indicate the rapid operation of some powerful physical agency: for some of them are more than five thousand miles in breadth; and since they have been known to disappear in the space of an hour or two, and even during the time of a casual observation-agents more powerful than any with which we are acquainted must have produced so extensive an effect. Jupiter is attended by four satellites or moons, which present a very beautiful appearance when viewed through a telescope. The first moon, or that nearest the planet, is 230,000 miles dis ant from its centre, and goes round it in 42 hours; and will appear from its surface four times larger than our moon does to us. The second moon, being farther distant, will appear about the size of ours; the third, somewhat less; and the fourth, which is a million of miles distant from Jupiter, and takes sixteen days to go round him, will appear only about one-third the diame ter of our moon. These moons suffer frequent eclipses from passing through Jupiter's shadow, in the same way as our moon is eclipsed by passing through the shadow of the earth. By A representation of these belts, in the positions in which they most frequently appear, is exhibit ed in the engraving, Fig. 2. Fig. 1. represents the double ring of Saturn, as it appears when viewed through a powerful telescope-Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, represent Saturn, Jupiter, Herschel, the Earth and Moon, in their relative sizes and pro portions. the eclipse of these moons, the motion of light was ascertained; and they are found to be of essential use in determining the longitude of places on the surface of our globe. This planet, if seen from its nearest moon, will present a surface a thousand times as large as our moon does to us, and will appear in the form of a crescent, a halfmoon, a gibbous phase, and a full-moon, in regular succession, every 24 hours. Jupiter's axis being nearly perpendicular to his orbit, he has no sensible change of seasons, such as we experience on the earth. Were we placed on the surface of this planet, with the limited powers of vision we now possess, our earth and moon would entirely disappear, as if they were blotted out from the map of creation; and the inhabitants of these regions must have much better eyes ours, if they know that there is such a globe as the earth in the universe. than The planet Saturn.-This planet is 900 millions of miles distant from the sun, being nearly double the distance of Jupiter. Its diameter is 79,000 miles, and, consequently, it is more than nine hundred times the bulk of the earth. It takes 29 years to complete its revolution about the sun; but its diurnal motion is completed in ten hours and sixteen minutes; so that the year in this planet is nearly thirty times the length of ours, while the day is shorter, by more than onehalf. The year, therefore, contains about twenty-five thousand one hundred and fifty days, or periods of its diurnal rotation, which is equal to 10,759 of our days. Saturn is of a spheroidal figure, or somewhat of the shape of an orange; his equatorial being more than six thousand miles longer than his polar diameter. His surface, like that of Jupiter, is diversified with belts and dark spots. Dr. Herschel, at certain times, perceived five belts on his surface, three of which were dark, and two bright. The dark belts had a yellowish tinge, and generally covered a larger zone of the disk of Saturn, than the belts of Jupiter occupy upon his surface. On account of the great distance of this planet from the sun, the light it receives from that luminary is only the ninetieth part of what we enjoy; but, by calculation, it is found, that this quantity is a thousand times greater than the light which the full moon affords to us. Besides, it is surrounded by no fewer than seven moons, which supply it with light in the absence of the sun. Five of these moons were discovered during the seventeenth century, by Huygens and Cassini; and the sixth and seventh were discovered by Dr. Herschel, in i789, soon after his large forty feet reflecting telescope was constructed. These moons, and also those which accompany Jupiter, are esti mated to be not less than the earth in magnitude, and are found, like our moon, to revolve round their axis in the same time in which they revolve about their respective primaries. Rings of Saturn.-The most extraordinary circumstance connected with this planet, is, the phenomenon of a double ring, which surrounds its body, but no where touches it, being thirty thousand miles distant from any part of the planet, and is carried along with the planet in its circuit round the sun. This is the most singular and astonishing object in the whole range of the planetary system; no other planet being found environed with so wonderful an appendage; and the planets which may belong to other systems, being placed beyond the reach of our observations, no idea can be formed of the peculiar apparatus with which any of them may be furnished. This double ring consists of two concentric rings, detached from each other; the innermost of which is nearly three times as broad as the outermost. The outside diameter of the exterior ring is 204,000 miles; and, consequently, its circumference will measure six hundred and forty thousand miles, or eighty times the diameter of our globe. Its breadth is 7,200 miles, or nearly the diameter of the earth. Were four hundred and fifty globes, of the size of the earth, placed close to one another, on a plane, this immense ring would enclose the whole of them, together with all the interstices, or open spaces between the different globes. The outside diameter of the innermost ring is 184,000 miles, and its breadth twenty thousand miles, or about 2} times broader than the diameter of the earth. The dark space, or interval, between the two rings, is 2,800 miles. The breadth of both the rings, including the dark space between thein, is thirty thousand miles, which is equal to the distance of the innermost ring from the body of Saturn. The following figure represents a view of Saturn and his rings, as they would appear, were our eye perpendicular to one of the planes of those rings; but our eye is never so much elevated above either plane, as to have the visual ray standing at right angles to it; it is never elevated more than 30 degrees above the planes of the rings. When we view Saturn through a telescope, we always see the ring at an oblique angle, so that it appears of an oval form, the outward circular rim being projected into an ellipsis more or less oblong, according to the different degrees of obliquity with which it is viewed, as will be seen in the figure of Saturn in the copperplate engraving. These rings cast a deep shadow upon the planet, which proves that they are not shining fluids, but composed of solid matter. They appear to be possessed of a higher reflective power than the surface of Saturn; as the light reflected by them is more brilliant than that of the planet. One obvious use of this double ring is, to reflect light upon the planet, in the absence of the sun; what other purposes it may be intended to subserve, in the system of Saturn, is, at present, to us unknown. The sun illuminates one side of it during fifteen years, or one-half of the period of the planet's revolution; and during the next fifteen years, the other side is enlightened in its turn. Twice in the course of thirty years, there is a short period, during which neither side is enlightened, and when, of course, it ceases to be visible;-namely, at the time when the sun ceases to shine on one side, and is about to shine on the other. It revolves reund its axis, and, consequently, around Saturn, in ten hours and a half, which is at the rate of a thousand miles in a minute, or fifty-eight times swifter than the earth's equator. When viewed from the middle zone of the planet, in the absence of the sun, the rings will appear like vast luminous arches, extending along the canopy of heaven, from the eastern to the western horizon; having an apparent breadth equal to a hundred times the apparent diameter of our moon, and will be seen darkened about the middle, by the shadow of Saturn.* There is no other planet in the solar system, whose firmament will present such a variety of splendid and magnificent objects, as that of Saturn. The various aspects of his seven moons, one rising above the horizon, while another is setting, and a third approaching to the meridian; See the engraving, fig. 7, which represents a view of the appearance which the rings and moons of Saturn will exhibit, in certain cases, about midnight, when beheld from a point 20 or 30 degrees north from his equator. The shade on the upper part of the rings represents the shadow of the body of Saturn. The shadow will appear to move gradually to the west as the morning approaches. one entering into an eclipse, and another emerging from it; one appearing as a crescent, and another with a gibbous phase; and sometimes the whole of them shining in the same hemisphere, in one bright assemblage; the majestic motions of the rings,-at one time illuminating the sky with their splendour, and eclipsing the stars; at another, casting a deep shade over eer tain regions of the planet, and unveiling to view the wonders of the starry firmament--are scenes worthy of the majesty of the Divine Bemg ta unfold, and of rational creatures to contempla e. Such magnificent displays of wisdom and onnipotence lead us to conclude that the numerout splendid objects connected with this planet were not created merely to shed their lustre on naked rocks and barren sands; but that an immense population of intelligent beings is placed in those regions, to enjoy the bounty and to adore the perfections of their great Creator. The double ring of Saturn, when viewed through a good te lescope, generally appears like a luminous handle on each side of the planet, with a dark interval between the interior edge of the ring and the convex body of Saturn; which is owing to its oblique position with respect to our line of vision. When its outer edge is turned directly towards the earth, it becomes invisible, or appears like a dark stripe across the disk of the planet. This phenomenon happens once every fifteen years. The planet Herschel.-This planet, which is also known by the names of the Georgium Sidus, and Uranus, was discovered by Dr. Herschel on the 13th March, 1781. It is the most distant planet from the sun, that has yet been discovered; being removed at no less than 1800 millions of niles from that luminary, which is nineteen times farther than the earth is from the sun-a distance so great, that a cannon ball, flying at the rate of 480 miles an hour, would not reach it in 400 years. Its diameter is about 35,000 miles; and, of course, it is about eighty times larger than the earth. It appears like a star of the sixth magnitude; but can seldom be distinguished by the naked eye. It takes about 83 years and a half to complete its revolution round the sun; and, though it is the slowest moving body in the system, it moves at the rate of 15,000 miles an hour. As the degree of sensible heat in any planet does not appear to depend altogether on its nearness to the sun, the temperature of this planet may be as mild as that which obtains in the most genial climate of our globe. The diameter of the sun, as seen from Herschel, is little more than the apparent diameter of Venus, as seen by the naked eye; and the light which it receives from that luminary, is 360 times less than what we experience; yet this proportion is found by calculation to be equal to the effect which would be produced by 248 of our full moons; and, in the absence of the sun, there are six moons which reflect light upon this distant planet, all of which were discovered likewise by Dr. Herschel. Small as the proportion of light is, which this planet receives from the sun, it is easy to conceive, that beings similar to man, placed on the surface of this globe, with a slight modification of their organs of vision, might be made to perceive objects with a clearness and distinctness even superior to what we can do. We have only to suppose, that the Creator has formed their eyes with pupils capable of a much larger expansion than ours; and has endued their retina with a much greater degree of nervous sensibility. At all events, we may rest assured, that He who has placed sentient beings in any region, has, by laws with which we are partly unacquainted, adapted the constitution of the inhabitant to the nature of the habitation. Strange and amazing must the difference be, The celestial globes which I have now described, are all the planets which are at present known to belong to the solar system. It is probable that other planetary bodies may yet be discovered between the orbits of Saturn and Herschel, and even far beyond the orbit of the latter; and it is also not improbable that planets may See Note, page 82. exist in the immense interval of 37 millions of miles between Mercury and the Sun. These (if any exist) can be detected only by a series of day observations, made with equatorial telescopes; as they could not be supposed to be seen, after sunset, on account of their proximity to the sun. Five primary planets, and eight secondaries, have been discovered within the last 42 years; and, therefore, we have no reason to conclude, that all the bodies belonging to our system have yet been detected, till every region of the heavens be more fully explored. Comets. Besides the planetary globes to which I have now adverted, there is a class of celestial bodies which occasionally appear in the heavens, to which the name of comets has been given. They are distinguished from the other celestial bodies, by their ruddy appearance, and by a long train of light, called the tail, which sometimes extends over a considerable portion of the heavens, and which is so transparent, that the stars may be seen through it. The tail is always directed to that part of the heavens which is opposite to the sun, and increases in size as it approaches him, and is again gradually diminished, as the comet flies off to the more distant regions of space. Their apparent magnitude is very different: sometimes they appear only of the bigness of the fixed stars; at other times they equal the diameter of Venus; and sometimes they have appeared nearly as large as the moon. They traverse the heavens in all directions, and cross the orbits of the planets. When examined through a telescope, they appear to consist of a dark central nucleus, surrounded by a dense atmosphere, or mass of vapours. They have been ascertained to move in long narrow ellipses or ovals, around the sun; some of them, on their nearest approach to him, having been within a million of miles of his centre; and then fly off to a region several thousands of millions of miles distant. When near the sun, they move with amazing velocity. The velocity of the comet which appeared in 1680, according to Sir Isaac Newton's calculation, was eight hundred and eighty thousand miles an hour. They appear to be bodies of no great density, and their The Author, some years ago, described a method by which the planets (if any) within the orbit of Mercury, may be discovered in the day-time, by means of a simple contrivance for intercepting the solar rays, and by the frequent application, by a num. ber of observers, of powerful telescopes, to a certain portion of the sky, in the vicinity of the sun. The details of this plan have not yet been published; but the reader will see them alluded to in No. V. of the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, for July 1820, p. size seldom exceeds that of the moon. The length of the tails of some comets has been estimated at fifty millions of miles. According to Dr. Herschel's computations, the solid nucleus or central part of the comet which appeared in 1811, was only 428 miles in diameter; but the real diameter of the head, or nebulous portion of the comet, he computed to be about 127 thousand miles. The length of its tail he computed to be above one hundred millions of miles, and its breadth nearly fifteen millions. It was nearest to the earth on the 11th of October, when its distance was 113 millions of miles. The number of comets which have occasionally been seen within the limits of our system, since the commencement of the Christian era, is about 500, of which the paths or orbits of 98 have been calculated. As these bodies cross the paths of the planets in every direction, there is a possibility, that some of them might strike against the earth in their approach to the sun; and, were this to happen, the consequences would be awful beyond description. But we may rest assured that that Almighty Being who at first launched them into existence, directs all their motions, however complicated; and that the earth shall remain secure against all such concussions from celestial agents, till the purposes of his moral government in this world shall be fully accomplished. What regions these bodies visit, when they pass beyond the limits of our view; upon what errands they are sent, when they again revisit the central parts of our system; what is the difference in their physical constitution, from that of the sun and planets; and what important ends they are destined to accomplish, in the economy of the universe, are inquiries which naturally arise in the mind, but which surpass the limited powers of the human understanding at present to determine. Of this, however, we may rest assured, that they were not created in vain; that they subserve purposes worthy of the infinite Creator; and that wherever he has exerted his power, there also he manifests his wisdom and bene ficence.* Such is a general outline of the leading facts connected with that system of which we form a part. Though the energies of divine power had never been exerted beyond the limits of this system, it would remain an eternal monument of the wisdom and omnipotence of its Author. Inde A comet has lately been discovered, whose periodical revolution is found to be only 3 years and 107 days. At its greatest distance from the sun, it is within the orbit of Jupiter, and it possesses this peculiar advantage for observation, that it will become visible ten times in thirty-three years. It was last seen in June, 1822, by the astronomers in the observatory of Paramatta, New Holland, in positions very near to those which had been previously calculated by Mr Enke. It is probable, that the observations which may hereafter be made on this comet, will lead to more definite and accurate views of the nature and destination of these singular bodies. pendent of the sun, which is like a vast univers in itself, and of the numerous comets which ar continually traversing its distant regions, it con tains a mass of material existence, arranged in the most beautiful order, two thousand five hos dred times larger than our globe. From late observations, there is the strongest reason to conclude, that the sun, along with all this vast assemblage of bodies, is carried through the regions of the universe, towards some distant point of space, or around some wide circumference, at the rate of more than sixty thousand miles an hour; and if so, it is highly probable, if not ab solutely certain, that we shall never again occ py that portion of absolute space, through which we are this moment passing, during all the suc ceeding ages of eternity. Such a glorious system must have been brought into existence, to subserve purposes worthy of the infinite wisdom and benevolence of the Creator. To suppose that the distant globes, of which it is composed, with their mag‐ nificent apparatus of rings and moons, were created merely for the purpose of affording a few astronomers, in these latter times, a peep a them through their glasses, would be inconsistent with every principle of reason; and would be charging Him, who is the source of wisdom, with conduct which we would pronounce to be folly in the sons of men. Since it appears, s far as our observation extends, that matter exists solely for the sake of sensitive and intelligent be ings, and that the Creator made nothing in vain; it is a conclusion to which we are necessarily led, that the planetary globes are inhabited by various orders of intellectual beings, who participate in the bounty, and celebrate the glory of their Creator. When this idea is taken into consideration, & gives a striking emphasis to such sublime declarations of the sacred volume as these :-" All nations before him are as nothing-He sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers-The nations are a the drop of a bucket-All the inhabitants of the world are reputed as nothing in his sight; and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth-Thou hast made heaven, and the heaven of heavens, with all their host; and thou preservest them all, and the host of heaven worshippeth thee-When I consider thy heavens, what is man, that thou art mindful of him!" If the race of Adam were the principal intelligences in the universe of God, such passages would be stripped of all their sublimity, would degenerate into mere hyperboles, and be almost without meaning. If man were the only rational being who inhabited the mate rial world, as some arrogantly imagine, it would be no wonder at all, that God should be "mindful of him;" nor could "all the inhabitants of this world," with any propriety, be compared to |