322 THE HISTOEY OF CREATION. 



of its rotatory movement, assumed a spheroidal or a flattened 

 globular form. 



While the centripetal force attracted the rotating particles 

 nearer and nearer to the firm central point of the nebulous 

 ball, and thus condensed the latter more and more, the cen- 

 trifugal force, on the other hand, always tended to separate 

 the peripheral particles further and further from it, and to 

 hurl them off. On the equatorial sides of the ball, which 

 was flattened at both poles, this centrifugal force was 

 strongest, and as soon as, by increase of density, it attained 

 predominance over the centripetal force, a circular nebulous 

 ring separated itself from the rotating ball. This nebulous 

 ring marked the course of future planets. The nebulous 

 mass of the ring gradually condensed, and became a planet, 

 which revolved round its own axis, and at the same 

 time rotated round the central body. In precisely the 

 same manner, from the equator of the planetary mass, as 

 soon as the centrifugal force gained predominance over 

 the centripetal force, new nebulous rings were ejected, 

 which moved round the planets as the latter moved- round 

 the sun. These nebulous rings, too, became condensed into 

 rotating balls. Thus arose the moons, only one of which 

 moves round our earth, whilst four move round Jupiter, and 

 six round Uranus. The ring of Saturn still shows us a moon 

 in its early stage of development. As by increasing refrigera- 

 tion these simple processes of condensation and expulson 

 repeated themselves over and over again, there arose the 

 different solar systems, the planets rotating round their 

 central suns, and the satellites or moons moving round their 

 planets. 



The original gaseous condition of the rotating bodies of 



