A PROBABLE ORIGIN OF THE RINGS OF SATURN. 



By Ai,i;kkt li. 1vi:ai;\n. 



IN the Student's Reference Work Cyclopedia, volume 2, page 

 1140, is this description of Saturn : 



"Saturn, with its system of rings, is conceded to be one of the most 

 superb objects in the heavens. Although the diameter of the planet is 

 only 78.000 miles, the outer ring is no less than 168,000 miles across. 

 Two rings have been known for a long while, but a third ring was dis- 

 covered by Bond in 1850. Pierce and Maxwell have proved that these 

 rings are made up of discreet particles, and that the rings, therefore, 

 are neither solid nor liquid. The planet has eight satellites, discovered 

 between the years 1665 and 1848." 



Saturn's rings are kept in place by the same force as are its 

 satelites. But how did they get in their present position, and 

 where did they come from? 



Some astronomers — practically all, in fact — no doubt be- 

 lieve that each ring of Saturn was left in its present position 

 when the planet cooled to a less size than the respective rings ; 

 and many believe that probably these rings may develop into 

 moons in time by the segregation of the particles of each re- 

 spective ring. But may it not be probable that they had a dif- 

 ferent origin? May they not have been formed by titanic 

 volcanic eruptions of that planet? Let us compare some of the 

 most violent volcanic eruptions of the earth in our own time, 

 and then see if the same phenomena, only on a more gigantic 

 scale, might not have occurred on Saturn and produced the 

 rings. 



ALASKAN VOLCANIC DISTURBANCES. 



In the recent violent volcanic disturbances in Alaska it is a 

 known fact that volcanic ashes were hurled 2000 miles, and 

 the finer dust particles were carried in the atmosphere com- 

 pletely around the earth. They were observed in Algiers and 

 elsewhere. It is also even believed by some observers that the 

 mean temperature of the earth's surface was lowered for a 

 time by these dust particles being suspended in the upper at- 

 mosphere. 



THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT PELEE. 



"The eruption of Pelee, that in its intensity, short duration 

 and annihilating power must be ranked among the great ca- 



(43) 



