THE RING i si 



saw the edge of the ring as* thin rim of light, and, from 

 some spota seen on it. inferred that it rotated round the 

 10 hours, 32 minutes, 15 second*. The planet 

 itaelf revolve* in |o 1 : minutes, 23 second* 



resting was the story thus told by th< 

 plan* i*ehel wrong from it other d< 



He suspected that an eighth satellite existed, 1 

 [ was reserved for others to discover an eighth, and 

 now said, a ninth, at great distance* .o planet 



lie a pu/./!- \N 1> idi I riffled 



in. He observe.! 1 rent from Un- 



ites, coming between the ring and his eye, and 

 ng along it in their orbit*. If they were not 

 satellites, what were they? He was not mistaken in 

 "the frequent appearance of protuberant and lucid 

 * on the arms of the ring of Saturn." They were 

 realities, not illusions, not an enchantment lent by the 

 vast distance at which he saw them. " Many of these 

 t point-.." ho writes, " were completely accounted 

 for by the calculated places of the satellites " : 

 there were many more which remained inexplicable. 

 He could not entertain the idea that these points 

 "would denote immense mountains of elevated sur- 

 face." He rather inclined to the belief that the ring 

 [was in a state of rotation round the plan* t ami that 

 one at least of the shining spota might bo a moon 

 bedded in or somehow connected with the ring, float- 

 ing, it might bo, in a fluid like water, or running in 

 groove or division of the ring to suffer 

 lie was perhaps not far ; 



th- tnitli in these rou uaginings. But the light 



of tlio ring is general!} han that of 



planet, and he even imagined that the shining spots 



