Show i t 17 U UT kes WES j 1 ASTRONOMY q I 1 w 1 ORSON PRATT SEN t ef ui A I 1 i b j a J keweg reble disco ea S neptune its tange I 1 density weight gravity ai at its surface fc irennia on f its orbits satellite eul sul ac J I 1 of tie the h e solar S ys tem boef r 1 4 As t of their orbits 01 bits tr TW imo IWO Is covery intersection of orbits distance between the interior ad and F exterior a orbits asteroid zone co exten I 1 sive I 1 with tu the solar system meteors only altera asteroids w miniature asteroids as fragments of a bursting world an absurdity 11 tty Ity suns sung compound 1 0 orbit mature nature nature of Us his Ve elementary orbits compound orbits of oj jemkor je AS 11 major malor planets tyese these Se orbits necessary to the stability of systems te adaptations of balancing orbits 4 evidences of a universal alti Viti versal law manifested i in orbit projections NEPTUNE tire TITE dl discovery covery of tha th planet neptune m may sly ELY be ranked among the greatest discoveries that were ever unfolded in the history of astronomy not so much in regard to its future bearings upon that great science as in relation to the curious and most wonderful manner in which the discovery was made in ill exploring the heavens in search of new now planets the telescope alone seems to have been the grand instrument of research some faint analogies it is true have guld guid guided edthe the instrumental examinations to ta certain regions of the heavens in preference others to for instance all the older planets were known to revolve in orbits not much inclined to the ecliptic being included within a narrow zone encircling the heavens about fourteen degrees in breadth called the zodiac analogy would naturally lead astronomers to regions in or near this zone tone aa as the most likely placa for discovering planetary bodies but having arrived in the neighborhood of this zone analog yno longer serves as a guide gulde and the has haq hitherto la launched alorth forth into the unknown abyss to be wafred wafted by the winds winda of fortune perhaps to some new liew planet but far more frequently he returns disappointed and grieved his hib hi voyage having been unsuccessful these bavo have been the diffin difficulties aleles and uncertainties which have attended the explorations pl orations of the heavens until within a few years past but the period has at length arrived when the mind of man has reasoned its way through the dark clouds of uncertainty has soared aloft among the vast oceans of telescopic stars and has pointed out almost the exact position of an unknown world II 11 would seem almost impossible for the human mind though guided by the most moat powerful ma mathematical theina thelna analysis to point out the direction define the distance trace out the orbit and tind weigh the mass 01 of an unknown planet so remote as tobe to be imperceptible to the naked eye let iet yet this hasteen has been attempted and the result has as brought to light anothy another great orb of our system which has rolled its ample rounds for ag ages azes des unknown it may be asked how was this grand problem solved we reply that it would be impossible to convey a clear idea of the profound and intricate analysis emp employed loved for its solution to a popular assembly unless they were prepared by a previous knowledge of the higher mathematics we win will venture to make a few remarks upon this recondite subject since the days of newtion it ilai has been known that each planet gravitates towards every other planet in the system with a certain force depending on the distance land jand quantity of matter As the planets revolve in their orbits their distances and aurl directions from each other are bre constantly varying consequently they must be continually acted upon by variable farces forces tending to urge them thom niom from the flip path which they would pur sube safe if only acted upon lipon by one central force forca the planetary orbits ate are ellipses when considered in reference refe reneo renco to the force deflecting them theril towards the sun surf they ar ara are a constantly deviating from these paths by forces urging arming them towards other lhez lher bodies in the tho system thesa deviations a are r Q called planetary perturbations and can b be e calculated wien when the direction distance and mass ce cr the perturbing body are known then thea perturbations of uranus towards saturn and jupiter were calculated for every point throughout its entire path so that thab the tho form of its path pith as depending depend depending inz InU upon its deflections towards these two bodies bo es and d the sun was kno known but by carefully y watching tha the progress ro ross of ura nus it was asoo soona ascertained seer ta that it d deviated evi evl abed ir from om its cafa caia calculated at orbit both in la direction and velocity volo cIty the disturbing cause was un known it could not be the influence of tha thia tho minor planets situated within the orb orbit beinor of f jupiter for they were altogether too small to occasion the lob iob served perturbations bat ions various causes were conjectured by the astronomical world WO rid to account for the deviation deviations of uranus some come supposed that the law of tion had bad in some sunai small smail degree changed its nature iiii others otherA supposed that the planet was va perhaps influenced by a comet which might be traversing those distant regions all ail seemed to be uncertainty until two young geometers mr adams of cambridge england and le Leyer lever leverrier verrier rier of prance France conceived the idea unknown to each other of determining by analytical in turns the direction distance and amount of the perturbing body from the amount of perturbations exercised upon uranus this is a problem from which any but the most profound mathematicians would have shrunk as being far beyond the pale of human intellect but these two mathematicians beheld behold the light glimmering from afar they therefore labored and stid toiled on with the most untiring persever ence removing obstacle after obstacle ascending higher and yet higher in their analytical investigations until they gained an elevation from which by the eye of reason they could see as yet an unseen world rolling in its mighty orbit nearly as far be yond dmd uranus as uranus is from the sun having abing satisfied themselves not only of the existence of the unknown world but of the particular regions of the heavens where it existed they announced the results of their leverrier verrier Ie wrote to his friend dr gile dalle of berlin requesting him to direct his telescope to the point in the heavens which mathematical reasoning had revealed reveal bd as the one containing the unknown body the first evening after the reception of this communication ir dr galle directed his telescope to the place pointed out when he at once perceived a star of the eighth magnitude which by reference to a map he found to be a stranger in that region the next evening the star had actually moved from its place with a velocity accordant with the computations of Lo leverrier verrier the unknown world was found the theory of the french geometer was demonstrated by actual discovery and the who whole le of the learned world were astounded astound bd at the penetrating judgment and giant intellect of the men who could by analytical reasoning alone rescue a world from the depths of space and assign it a definite orbit among the known orbs arbs of our system independent of the applause of or men how satisfactory and pleasant must be the feelings of a great and good man when he has been een made the instrument of some great and ana d grand discovery disco very when when he knows that his bis persevering industry and labor have put him in possession of knowledge and power powen wen koopen to open the sublime mysteries af creation a and ana d bring to light things which have slum slumbered b n ed for ages unknown this ever memorable discovery took place or was confirmed on the of sep 1846 the actual place of the planet was foundton found to be only 52 1 of a degree from the computed place assigned by leverrier and only 20 2 27 from the place computed by mr adams both of whom were in entire ignorance of each others calculations after the discovery of this distant planet many astronomers bent dent all their efforts to ascertain its distance period form of its orbit etc all of which are called its ele ments it was waa soon learned that the planet was seen on the loth of may 1795 and entered on the catalogues cataloguer catal as a fixed star from this discovery astronomers were enabled to calculate its ita elements with a very great degree af precision it revolves around its orbit at the vast distance of of miles in a period of no less lesa than mean solar days or a little over 16 t 12 1 2 of our years this ais als distance i is so great that a cannon ball flying at the rate of miles mues per hour would woula require years to accomplish the journey A steam carriage traveling 20 miles per hour would be 16 1 years in going the distance and to iga iwa traverse erse ense the whole circumference of its ita orbit would take upwards of years even light itself would require ro 4 hours 7 12 1 2 minutes to cor come no from irom q that t body to us the diameter of neptune is miles its bulk therefore is 12 12 times greater than the earth that is 1431 12 1 2 globes of the size of the earth if into ond one would woula form a globe of the size of neptune the density of this planet is about 17 1 7 bf that of the earth darth that is 7 globes of the size of the earth composed of the materials of which neptune consists would weigh as heavy as the earth therefore ther elore the materials which enter into the me composition ot of are only about 57 67 5 6 7 as heavy as at water and the whole of that planet though 12 1 2 times timos larger than the earth will only weigh about 20 13 12 1 3 2 times knorp more one pound of terrestrial matter trans transi i ported to W the surface of neptune will only I 1 weigh 12 ounces and 2 drachms drachma drach ms or A little over 34 3 4 of a pound A clock pendulum that will make oscillations at the surface of the earth if carried to the surface of neptune would only make inake 87 oscillations in the same time bodies will fall near the surface of that planet only 12 feet and 1 inch in a second whereas on the earth they will fall in the bame same time 16 feet and I 1 inch this planets I 1 orbit is inclined n to t the ahe ecliptic at an angie angle ot 1 deg 46 min 59 sec it deemi seams seems to bea be a characteristic of 0 all the larger planets planeta to revolve in orbits but bub little inclined to each other or to the ecliptic though neptune is too far from us to determine bj by observation whether it has bag a motion or not yet from analogy and other otheir theoretical considerations it is quite probable that it rotates upon an axis froin from west to east the tho same as the three large planets interior to it and it is pie in about the same period how row many satellites attend neptune is as yet unknown ong ona only has been certainly observed it was first discovered by mr bassell esth 1847 since which time it has been observed by many other astronomers its orbit is inclined to the ecliptic at an angle 9 oc 35 deg its approximate ap 15 period is 5 days 20 hours 50 min 45 secand its distance from the ceneri centre of odthe the planet is tt about out miles ItIs it is from the tho period and ana distance of this satellite that the comparative para tive mass of neptune has been computed with a tolerable degree of or accuracy though it will hereafter probably undergo some modification as observation shall become more perfect erom prom bodes law of planetary distances it might haye have been expected that the planet neptune should be placed at about double the distance of uranus from the sun but this is found not to bo be the case bodes layr law although verified in the caso case of all the other planets and even among the systems of satellites falls fails by some six or seven hun dred millions of miles in the distance of the new orb this law of planetary distances seems seeing to be founded upon no necessity at least no causes or reasons can be assigned why this singular relation of distances should have existed in so many instances and it is rather singular took too that after it hai had been to verified rifled in so many instances a case should occur so widely deviating from it this may have havo occurred by some interference with the original velocity of the planet by which its period may havo have been shortened and consequently its distance we have already stated in a former lecture that the apparent magnitude of the sun as seen from this planet will bo be about WO goo times less than he appears fo to us the inhabitants of that planet therefore will have times timed less light than what we have the light of the sun which we receive is estimated to be equal to about full moons therefore the light tight on neptune would be equal to full moons which would ba be amply sufficient for the purposes of vision wo we have now given a very brief description tiou tion of the primary and secondary planets of f the solar system wath one small exception ion lon namely our moon we shall next say a few words in regard to the superficial contents of the system the number of square miles on the surface fa ed of a globe Is obtained by multiplying i the fie diameter into its circumference nce for instance ns tance the number of square miles on the surface of the earth including both land and water is about the surface of the sun contains of square miles the superficial contents of all the planet planets and satellites amount to about ot of square miles thu thus it iam will 11 be perceived that the sur sun face of the bun fan is about times greater than the surface of the earth and the surface ot of all the planets and satellites is times greater than the surface of the earth hence there are 12 ii 5 times greater surface in tha worlds of or our system than on the earth it if each of these worlds were inhabited in proportion ro portion to the number of inhabitants ul dwelling velling upon oar our globe the aggregate number would bo bu about 12 billions but our earth is capable of sustaining at least temm terr times the tho amount of population which at present inhabit it p and if the population of the solar system were increased in the same proportion the numbers would be swelled to tar billions it certainly is perfectly consistent that all of these worlds should bo be inhabited otherwise there would be no use in their organization for certainly an alloise nil all wise being would not form such stupendous globes without having some worthy end or design in view to form thomm thorn and leave them uninhabited would no wisdom the work would be inai in vin in can we for one moment suppose that life and intelligence are confined within the very narrow limits of our own little globe that all the other vast orbs of this system exhibit a scene of barrenness and desolation where no living beings elst eist to enjoy and appreciate the beauties and glories of grea prea creation tion such a clew view TIOW of the works of the almighty would teady ready distort his ris per perfections factions and attributes etite the grand object of the creation crea tion flon of worlds Is to people them with living and intelligent beings who are capable of en j ing life and happiness theil shell when we reflect then upon pon this system of elds rids worlds we e are aie not to td suppose them thein to be dreary wastes but consider thetna hem bem aa ask the abodes of myriads ot animated beings belnas af aj every grade and species cles cies from the lowest to the highest or order sTe er of al air I 1 living moving and rejoicing in their several spheres of action as on this earth THE eue |