The human mind has used Saturn and the two known planets beyond for the last 200 years as a gymnasium.  It has exercised itself in comprehending their enormous distances in order to clear those greater spaces, to where the stars are set; it has exercised its ingenuity at interpreting appearances which signify something other than they seem, in order that it may no longer be deluded by any sunrises into a belief that the heavenly dome goes round the earth.  That a wandering point of light should develop into such amazing grandeurs under the telescope, is as unexpected as that every tiny seed should show peculiar markings and colors under the microscope.

[Illustration:  Fig. 65.—­View of Saturn and his Rings.]

There are certain things that are easy to determine, such as size, density, periodic time, velocity, etc.; but other things are exceedingly difficult to determine.  It requires long sight to read when the book is held [Page 168] 800,000,000 miles away.  Only very few, if more than two, opportunities have been found to determine the time of Saturn’s rotation.  On the evening of December 7th, 1870, Professor Hall observed a brilliant white spot suddenly show itself on the body of this planet.  It was as if an eruption of white hot matter burst up from the interior.  It spread eastward, and remained bright till January, when it faded.  No such opportunity for getting a basis on which to found a calculation of the time of the rotation of Saturn has occurred since Sir William Herschel’s observations; and, very singularly, the two times deduced wonderfully coincide—­that of Herschel being 10h. 16m., that of Mr. Hall being 10h. 14m.

[Page 169] The density of Saturn is less than that of water, and its velocity of rotation so great that centrifugal force antagonizes gravitation to such an extent that bodies weigh on it about the same as on the earth.  All the fine fancies of the habitability of this vaporous world, all the calculations of the number of people that could live on the square miles of the planet and its enormous rings, are only fancy.  Nothing could live there with more brains than a fish, at most.  It is a world in formative processes.  We cannot hear the voice of the Creator there, but we can see matter responsive to the voice, and moulded by his word.

Rings of Saturn.

The eye and mind of man have worked out a problem of marvellous difficulty in finding a true solution of the strange appearance of the rings.  Galileo has the immortal honor of first having seen something peculiar about this planet.  He wrote to the Duke of Tuscany, “When I view Saturn it seems tricorps.  The central body seems the largest.  The two others, situated, the one on the east, and the other on the west, seem to touch it.  They are like two supporters, who help old Saturn on his way, and always remain at his side.”  Looking a few years later, the rings having turned from view, he said, “It is possible that some demon mocked me;” and he refused to look any more.