A GIANT PLANET. 293 



ful reexamination of the planet's face. But quite recently one of the 

 most eminent of our modern observers Mr. Lassell, lately president 

 of the Royal Astronomical Society (having been led to observe the 

 planet by the fact that certain phenomena of interest in connection 

 with the satellite-system are now in progress), found his attention at- 

 tracted by the marvellous beauty of the colors presented by Jupiter's 

 belts. After describing the appearances he had intended to observe in 

 the first instance, he proceeds : " But this was not the phenomenon 

 which struck me most in this rare and exquisite view of Jupiter. I 

 must acknowledge that I have hitherto been inclined to think that 

 there might be some exaggeration in the colored views I have lately 

 seen of the planet ; but this property of the disk, in the view I am de- 

 scribing, was so unmistakable that my skepticism is at last beginning 

 to yield." Nor will this statement be thought to express more than 

 the truth, when we add that, in the picture accompanying his paper, 

 Mr. Lassell presented the equatorial zone as brown-orange, and three 

 neighboring dark zones as purple ; one of the intermediate light belts 

 being pictured as of a light olive-green. 



Let us compare these observations made in our brumous latitudes 

 with those effected by Father Secchi with the fine equatorial of the 

 Roman Observatory. "During the fine evenings of this month," he 

 wrote last February, " Jupiter has presented a wonderful aspect. The 

 equatorial band, of a very pronounced rose-color, was strewn with a 

 large number of yellowish clouds. Above and below this band, 

 there were many very fine zones, with others strongly marked and nar- 

 row, which resembled stretched threads. The blue and yellow colors 

 formed a remarkable contrast with the red zone, a contrast doubtless 

 increased by a little illusion. The surface of the planet is actually so 

 different from that which I have formerly seen, that there is room for 

 the study of the planet's meteorology." 



It appears to us that, when these remarkable changes are considered 

 in combination with the circumstance that on a priori grounds we 

 should expect the sun to have very little influence on the condition of 

 the planet's atmosphere, the idea cannot but be suggested that the 

 chief source of all this energy resides in the planet itself. The idea 

 may seem startling at a first view, but, when once entertained, many 

 arguments will be found to present themselves in its favor. 



For instance, it does not seem to have been noticed, heretofore, as 

 a very remarkable circumstance, if the Jovian belts are sun-raised, that 

 they pass round to the nocturnal half of Jupiter and reappear again, 

 with the same general features as before, and this often for weeks at a 

 stretch. Even that remarkable feature whose changes led to the con- 

 elusion that mighty hurricanes were in progress, yet changed continu- 

 ously and regularly during the Jovian nights as well as during the Jo- 

 vian days, for one hundred such days in succession. This is perfectly 

 intelligible if the seat of disturbance is in the planet itself, but it is per- 



