of rings with which it is surrounded, give it a complicated appearance altogether different from any other planet; and a person of a reflecting turn of mind feels quite unable to comprehend the purpose for which these remarkable appen. dages have been formed. The planet is well situated for observation in this country at present, better than it will be again for the next dozen years, the rings being now seen nearly fully open. The woodcut shows the appearance it presented last winter (1855-6) when seen through the most powerful telescopes.

Dimensions, &c. of Saturn.-In point of size Saturn is a little less than Jupiter; and compared with our tiny globe, is nearly a thousand times larger. The ball of Saturn is 79,000 miles in diameter; and, like Jupiter, is broadest if measured across the equator. This flattening of the poles, due to its rapid rotation on its axis, amounts to about one-eleventh, that is, it is so much less one way than the other. Saturn turns on its axis once in 10 hours, 29 minutes. The distance of Saturn from the Sun is nearly ten times greater than our Earth, or, 900 millions of miles; and performs its journey round the Sun in 29 years. Like Jupiter, this planet is also generally seen with one or more belts across its ball exactly similar to those mentioned in the last chapter, and due, no doubt, to the same causeaffording at the same time, evidence of the existence of an atmosphere, and water. A whiteness about the poles of Saturn has also been observed which would seem to indicate the presence of snow, or ice, as mentioned in our description of the polar regions of Mars. In proportion to its size, Saturn is the lightest of the planets, its average weight, or density, being considerably lighter than water.

Saturn's Rings.-The singular Rings of Saturn may be roughly described as of the same shape as the flat bottom of a boy's jenny-spinner, with this difference, that the ring is entirely detached from the ball and separated by an interval of several thousands of miles. Perhaps one or two more familiar illustrations may be of service to some of our young readers, who may not be able to comprehend the perspective figure at the commencement of this chapter.

The hoop used by a person carrying two buckets of water, gives a good idea of the ring detached from the centre body, only, we must remember that the ring of Saturn is flat like the rim of a hat. This, indeed, leads us to an excellent, but rather funny, illustration: let a little boy take a large man's hat and hold it loosely on his brow-the flat rim of the hat will represent the ring of Saturn, while the head of the boy may be considered as the body of the planet. The most recent observations show that the bright ring is not quite flat, as hitherto supposed, but thicker at the middle than at the edges, which accords with our ideas of strength.

Saturn's Ring changes its position from the planet. Some astronomers possessed of good telescopes have carefully watched the motions of the ring and ball of Saturn, and have been convinced that the speed of the ball is slightly different from that of the ring; while other perhaps equally careful observers are not so decided on this point. Indeed, it is yet questionable whether the ring moves round the planet or not.

Saturn's Ring also changes its position with respect to this Earth in such a way that for fifteen years we constantly see one side, and for the next fifteen years we see the opposite side. This is owing to the plane of the ring being considerably inclined to its path in the ecliptic. From the same cause, one side of the ring is presented to the Sun for fifteen years in succession while the opposite side is in constant darkness, except any little light it may receive from the planet.

We have hitherto spoken of only one ring, but in reality there are two bright rings—that which appears with a small telescope to be only one, is seen with a large telescope to be divided by a narrow black division, making two rings of unequal breadth (see the woodcut). Some observers have fancied that the outer ring was again subdivided by a division still narrower than the principal one above mentioned. The writer of this paid very close attention to the outer ring last winter, when the planet was more favourably situated for observation than it will be again for many

years to come. The result of several fine nights' scrutiny, with an excellent 12ft. telescope, was, that, a black division could never be seen; but a mark, or stripe, of a variable darkish shade was frequently seen on the outer bright ring, closely resembling the stripes, or belts, which so conspicuously cover the balls of Jupiter and Saturn. In the woodcut this mark on the outer ring is too distinct, being shown there quite black, instead of only a darkish stripe.

Besides these two bright rings there is an inner dusky ring, which was discovered only six years ago. It is worthy of mention that this discovery was made at about the same time, and independently, by Professor Bond, of the United States and by the Rev. W. R. Dawes, of Wateringbury. We state these particulars thus minutely because they have been stated erroneously elsewhere. In speaking of this newly-discovered inner ring, we shall not stop to detail all the various conjectures that have been put forth to account for its recent appearance, because there is sufficient evidence to prove that the ring has been nearly the same, both in position and appearance, for the last hundred years, and probably since the creation of the bright rings.

The following patch of information has found its way into a number of magazines and newspapers recently, and is only a type of a number of newspaper paragraphs which have startled the world during the last few years:—

SATURN AND HIS RINGS.-In a recent work, entitled, “The New Theory of Creation and Deluge," among other startling predictions, it is stated, that it is probable the rings that surround Saturn are composed of water, snow, or ice, which, in some future time, may descend and deluge the planet, as ours was deluged in the days of Noah. Sir David Brewster writes thus "Mr. Otto Struve and Mr. Bond have lately studied with the great Munich telescope, at the observatory of Pulkoway, the third ring of Saturn, which Mr. Lassels and Mr. Bond discovered to be fluid. These astronomers are of the opinion, that this fluid ring is not of very recent formation, and that it is not subject to rapid change; and they have come to the extraordinary conclusion, that the inner border of the ring has, since the time of Huygens, been gradually approaching the body of Saturn, and that we may expect, sooner or later, perhaps in some dozen of years, to see the ring united with the body of the planet."

The new ring of Saturn is now generally believed by astronomers to be "fluid," in the same sense as we understand the atmosphere which surrounds this Earth to be "fluid air;" but not liquid like water, as the above writer would wish us to believe. A glance at our woodcut will show that the ball of the planet can be seen through the new inner ring-proving its transparency, and its strong resemblance to our own atmosphere. The bright rings appear to be composed of solid materials, little different from the ball itself; and, moreover, there is nothing very wild in the supposition that it may be adapted for the reception of inhabitants. Considerable surprise was excited a few months ago by the announcement that the bright rings were then much nearer the planet, than when the earliest sketches were made about 150 years ago. Several careful measurements have been made during the last winter, and the result is that no change appears to have taken place in the distance of the rings during the last 50 or 60 years at least.

The following are the dimensions of the Rings in round numbers :

Outside diameter of outer ring

Breadth of outer bright ring

inner ditto

176,000 miles.

10,000

17,000

From these figures it will be seen that our Moon might be dropped through the dark space between the two bright rings.

The ring is too thin to be seen with the most powerful telescope, when its edge is presented to us. In 1848 it was invisible for several evenings, then re-appeared as a very narrow line of light, and has since been gradually opening. In 1863 it will again be invisible; after which the side now turned from us will become visible, and remain so for a period of 15 years.

Satellites of Saturn.--Saturn is accompanied by eight satellites, or Moons. These moons appear exceedingly small, owing to their great distance from this Earth, the faintest requiring the most powerful telescopes to render them visible. Every improvement of the telescope, since the time of Galileo, has revealed something new about Saturn; and the following table containing the names of the satellites, as given by Dr. Herschel, and their periods of revolution round Saturn, is also made to show the date of discovery of each and the name of the discoverer. It will be seen that the first satellite, or that nearest the planet performs its revolution in a very short space of time.

The seventh satellite was discovered on the same evening, and independently, of course, in the United States by Professor Bond, and in England by Mr. Lassell, of Liverpool, with a very fine twenty feet telescope of his own construction. The first and second satellites were discovered by Dr. Herschel with a telescope forty feet long, and forty-eight inches aperture.

Before closing this article, it will perhaps be interesting to our readers to know the telescopic power necessary to make a successful attack on this very pretty planet. At first sight it appears rather unfortunate, for the young astronomer, that Saturn should be so remote from us-requiring very powerful and expensive instruments to afford even a tolerable glimpse of its complicated scenery. A good | pocket telescope, with a magnifying power of 30 or 40, if