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108 Prof. Peirce on the Coiistitutioii of Saturn^ s Ring. 



for supporting a ring; and the only part of the system where 

 such a phenomenon might have been reasonably expected, is just 

 within the powerful mass of Jupiter. But had there been a ring 

 at this part of the system, it must have been subject to such ex- 

 traordinary perturbations, that it would in the course of time 

 have been vibrated up against the next interior planet. Mars ; and, 

 in this way, have been broken into the asteroids. The orbits of 

 planets formed under such circumstances would have been natu- 

 rally characterized by great eccentricity. 



5. But suppose that, frorri any cause whatever, the Sun had, 

 at some period, been surrounded by a light ring comparable in 

 levity to the zodiacal light; and in order to escape the planetary 

 influences, we may suppose the plane of the ring to have had a 

 large inclination to the ecliptic. The result would have been 

 that the center of gravity of the ring would have soon begun to 

 move in some direction or other, and have continued moving 

 until it was brought against the surfac^e of the Sun. But during 

 this motion, and in conSequence of the solar action, the matter of 

 the ring would have accumulated at the most remote part ; so 

 that if the Sun were a mere point, it would have happened that, 

 at the very instant of its expected meeting with the ring, the 

 whole ring would have escaped from the point of compact. The 

 experiment of Tantalus would have been performed on a grand 

 scale, and the ripg would ha"^e been install taneously transformed 

 into a comet in jts aohelion, ^^d ^^ 



6. If, however, th^ ring were supposed to be a large gaseous 

 mass of a circular figure, the condeij^ion which would occur at 

 the point of aphelion might soon lead to chemical action. Pre- 

 cipitation might ensue, "and the necessary consequence would 

 seem to be a continually accelerated Accumulation at this point, 

 which would terminate inttic production of a planet. 



I stop upon the verge of the nebular hypothesis. I appeared 

 before this Assaciation a few years ago when it was still in its 

 primiti^'e geological condiljpn, with an argument which seemed 

 to mo at the tinse to be incontrovertible, against this theory. I 

 then maintained (hat, althdl^ahl it stood upon three legs, it was 

 nevertheless infirm in it& posuian ; for that one leg was too long, 



and 



d to retract my opposit 



1 



sacrifice my former unanswerm)le arguments upon the altar of a 

 new investigation. But I am free to admit that the farther I 

 extend my researches into tl](e physical universe, the stronger 

 appears to me the evidence that the process of creation was con- 

 ducted by the diving geometer in a modified form of that very 

 hypothesis, which was contrived by a shallow and wicked phi- 

 losophy for the direct purpose of excluding the Deity from his 

 own works. 





