THE RINGED PLANET. 41 



other distances of the same class. Let it be noticed, then, that Saturn's 

 mean distance from the sun exceeds the earth's more than nine and a 

 half times. Now, Jupiter's distance exceeds the earth's rather more 

 than five times (five and a fifth is very nearly the true proportion) ; so 

 that between Jupiter's path and Saturn's there lies everywhere a span 

 fully equal to four times the earth's distance from the sun. So much 

 for Saturn's nearest neighbor on that side. But on the farthest side 

 lies Uranus, more than nineteen times as far away from the sun as our 

 earth is ; so that between the paths of Saturn and Uranus there lies 

 everywhere a span equal to Saturn's own distance from the sun. Now, 

 all this is not intended as a mere display of wonderful distances. So 

 far as mere dimensions are concerned, these arrays of figures are 

 more imposing than impressive. But, so soon as we take into account 

 the circumstance that a planet is in some sense ruler over the spaces 

 through which its course carries it, those spaces being by no means 

 tenantless, we see that, cceteris paribus, the dignity of a planet is en- 

 hanced by the extent of the space separating its orbit from the orbits 

 of its neighbors on either side. Now, the space between the paths of 

 Saturn and Jupiter exceeds the space inclosed by the earth's orbit no 

 less than 63 times, while the space between the paths of Saturn 

 and Uranus exceeds the space inclosed by the earth's orbit 270 times ! 

 Assuming (as we seem compelled to do by continually-growing evi- 

 dence) that Saturn and his system were formed by the gathering in of 

 matter from the region over which Saturn now bears sway, we cannot 

 wonder that the planet is a giant, and his system wonderful in extent 

 and complexity of structure. It is true that Jupiter on one side, and 

 Uranus on the other, share Saturn's rule over the vast space, 330 times 

 the whole space circled round by the earth, which lies between the or- 

 bits of his neighbor planets. But Saturn's rule is almost supreme over 

 the greater part of that enormous space. Combining the vastness of 

 the space with its position — not so near to the sun that solar influence 

 can greatly interfere with Saturn's, nor so far away as to approach the 

 relatively-barren outskirts of the solar system — we seem to find a suffi- 

 cient explanation of Saturn's high position in the scheme of the planets 

 as respects volume and mass, and his foremost position as respects the 

 complexity of the system over which he bears sway. 



Briefly, then, to indicate his proportions, and the dimensions of his 

 system : 



Saturn has a globe considerably flattened, his equatorial diameter 

 being about 70,000 miles, while his polar axis is nearly 7,000 miles 

 shorter. Thus in volume he exceeds the earth nearly 700 times, and 

 all the four terrestrial planets — Mercury, Yenus, the Earth, and Mars 

 — taken together, more than 336 times. In mass he does not exceed 

 the earth and these other smaller planets so enormously, because his 

 density (regarding him as a whole) is much less than the earth's. In 

 fact, his density is less than that of any other known body (comets, 



