A GIANT PLANET. 99 



satellite system were in progress), found his atten- 

 tion attracted by the marvellous beauty of the colours 

 presented by Jupiter's belts. After describing the 

 appearances he had intended to observe in the first 

 instance, he proceeds, 'But this was not the pheno- 

 menon which struck me most in this rare and exquisite 

 view of Jupiter. I must acknowledge that I have 

 hitherto been inclined to think that there might be 

 some exaggeration in the coloured views I have lately 

 seen of the planet ; but this property of the disc, in 

 the view I am describing, was so unmistakable that my 

 scepticism is at last beginning to yield.' Nor will this 

 statement be thought to express more than the truth, 

 when we add, that in the picture accompanying his 

 paper, Mr. Lassell presented the equatorial zone as 

 brown-orange, and three neighbouring dark zones as 

 purple ; one of the intermediate light belts being pic- 

 tured as of a light olive-green. 



Let us compare these observations made in our 

 brumous latitudes, with those effected by Father Secchi 

 with the fine equatorial of the Roman Observatory. 

 6 During the fine evenings of this month,' he wrote in 

 February 1872, 'Jupiter has presented a wonderful 

 aspect. The equatorial band, of a very pronounced rose 

 colour, was strewn with a large number of yellowish 

 clouds. Above and below this band there were many very 

 fine zones, with others strongly marked and narrow, 

 which resembled stretched threads. The blue and yellow 

 colours formed a remarkable contrast with the red zone, 

 a contrast doubtless increased by a little illusion. The 



H 2 



