Original and A dual Fluidity of the Earth and Planets. 259 



From the foregoing Tables, it would appear that the effect of the planet, m 

 elongating the figures of their satellites was greater than the effect of the Sun 

 upon the planets; and so far the conclusion to be drawn from the calculation 

 accords w:th the idea of Laplace. But a slight consideration will show that 

 the amount of contraction assigned to the planets is much too small In fact 

 we are entitled by the nebular hypothesis to assume that each planet at the 

 time of Its separation, extended at least as far as the orbit of its most'distant 



satelhte; this consideration supplies us with another and safer measure of the 



contraction of those planets which have satellites. 



The following Table contains the values of ^n, which express the amount 



of contraction used in Tables I. and II., and also the value of the ellipticity of 



each planet, supposed homogeneous and extending to the orbit of its outermost 



satellite. 



Table III. 



Planets. 



\/ n 





Mercury, 

 Venus, . 

 Earth, . . 



Mars, . . 

 Jupiter, . 

 Saturn, . 

 Uranus, . 



2-4462 



2-9695 



3-2547 



3-6743 



6-3675 



7-5560 



9-5035 



7926 X S9 964 

 190000000 



87000 X 2 6-998 

 190x5202776 



79160x64-359 

 190x9538786 



34500 x 22-8» 

 190^19182390 



32-801 



14228 



1 

 2571-3 



1 

 798591 



. 



From the first column of this Table, it appears that the original radius of 

 the planets used in Tables I. and II. in no case exceeded ten times the present 

 radius, which is too small for the planets with satellites, especially the Earth and 

 Saturn, and probably too small for all the other planets. From a comparison 



VOL. XXII. 



These figures refer to the fourth satellite. 

 2 ivi 



