394 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE CHAP. 



now been ascertained that this is occupied by 

 a zone of Minor Planets, the first of which 

 was discovered by Piazzi on January 1, 1801, 

 a worthy prelude to the succession of scientific 

 discoveries which form the glory of our cen- 

 tury. At present over 300 are known, but 

 certainly these are merely the larger among 

 an immense number, some of them doubtless 

 mere dust. 



JUPITER 



Beyond the Minor Planets we come to the 

 stupendous Jupiter, containing 300 times the 

 mass, and being 1200 times the size of our 

 Earth larger indeed than all the other 

 planets put together. It is probably not 

 solid, and from its great size still retains a 

 large portion of the original heat, if we may 

 use such an expression. Jupiter usually 

 shows a number of belts, supposed to be due 

 to clouds floating over the surface, which have 

 a tendency to arrange themselves in belts or 

 bands, owing to the rotation of the planet. 

 Jupiter has four moons or satellites. 



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