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a quarter of a metre from the Earth will be the Moon, the 

 size of a mustard seed, 2^ millimetres in diameter. Mars, 

 at a distance of 160 metres, will have about half the diame 

 ter of the Earth ; and the smaller planets (Vesta, Hebe, As 

 trea, Juno, Pallas, Ceres, &c.), at a distance of from 250 to 

 300 metres from the sun, will resemble particles of sand. 

 Juj^ter and Saturn, 560 and 1000 metres distant from the cen 

 tre, will be represented by oranges, 10 and 9 centimetres in 

 diameter. Uranus, of the size of a nut 4 centimetres across, 

 will be 2000 metres ; and Neptune, as large as an apple 6 

 centimetres in diameter, will be nearly twice as distant, or 

 about half a geographical mile away from the sun. From 

 Neptune to the nearest fixed star will be more than 2000 geo 

 graphical miles. 



To complete this picture, it is necessary to imagine finely 

 divided matter grouped in a diversified manner, moving slowly 

 and gradually towards the large central globe, and on its ar 

 rival attaching itself thereto ; this matter, when favourably 

 illuminated by the sun, represents itself to us as the zodiacal 

 light. This nebulous substance forms also an important part 

 of a creation in which nothing is by chance, but wherein all 

 is arranged with Divine foresight and wisdom. 



The surface, of the sun measures 115,000 millions of 

 square miles, or 6^ trillions of square metres ; the mass of 

 matter which in the shape of asteroids falls into the sun every 

 minute is from 94,000 to 188,000 billions of kilogrammes ; 

 one square metre of solar surface, therefore, receives on an 

 average from 15 to 30 grammes of matter per minute. 



To compare this process with a terrestrial phenomenon, a 

 gentle rain may be considered which sends down in one hour 

 a layer of water 1 millimetre in thickness (during a thunder 

 storm the rainfall is often from ten to fifteen times this quan 

 tity) ; this amounts on a square metre to 17 grammes per 

 minute. 



