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Fig. 82.—Horizontal Pendulum. |
The Horizontal Pendulum.—This delicate instrument is represented in Fig. 82. It consists of an upright standard, strongly braced; a weight, m, suspended by the hair-spring of a watch, B D, and held in a horizontal position by another watch-spring, A C. The weight is deflected from side to side by the slightest influence. The least change in the level of a base thirty-nine inches long that could be detected by a spirit-level is 0".1 of an arc—equal to raising one end 1/2068 of an inch. But the pendulum detects a raising of one end 1/36000000 of an inch. To observe the movements of the pendulum, it is kept in a dark room, and a ray of light is directed to the mirror, m, and thence reflected upon a screen. Thus the least movement may be enormously magnified, and read and measured by the moving spot on the screen. It has been discovered that when the sun rises it has sufficient attraction to incline this instrument to the east; when it sets, to incline it to the west. The same is true of the moon. When either is exactly overhead or underfoot, of course there is no deflection. The mean deflection caused by the moon at rising or setting is 0".0174; by the sun, 0".008. Great results are expected from this instrument hardly known as yet: among others, whether gravitation acts instantly or consumes time in coming from the sun. This will be shown by the time of the change of the pendulum from east to west when the sun reaches the zenith, and vice versa when it crosses the nadir. The sun will be best studied without light, in the quiet and darkness of some deep mine.
Light of Unseen Stars.—From careful examination, it appears that three-fourths of the light on a fine starlight night comes from stars that cannot be discerned by the naked eye. The whole amount of star light is about one-eightieth of that of the full moon.
Lateral Movements of Stars, [page 226-28].
Future Discoveries—A Trans-Neptunian Planet.—Professor Asaph Hall says: "It is known to me that at least two American astronomers, armed with powerful telescopes, have been searching quite recently for a trans-Neptunian planet. These searches have been caused by the fact that Professor Newcomb's tables of Uranus and Neptune already begin to differ from observation. But are we to infer from these errors of the planetary tables the existence of a trans-Neptunian planet? It is possible that such a planet may exist, but the probability is, I think, that the differences are caused by errors in the theories of these planets. * * * A few years ago the remark was frequently made that the labors of astronomers on the solar system were finished, and that henceforth they could turn their whole attention to sidereal astronomy. But to-day we have the lunar theory in a very discouraging condition, and the theories of Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all in need of revision; unless, indeed, Leverrier's theories of the last two planets shall stand the test of observation. But, after all, such a condition of things is only the natural result of long and accurate series of observations, which make evident the small inequalities in the motions, and bring to light the errors of theory."
Future discoveries will mostly reveal the laws and conditions of the higher and finer forces. Already Professor Loomis telegraphs twenty miles without wire, by the electric currents between mountains. We begin to use electricity for light, and feel after it for a motor. Comets and Auroras show its presence between worlds, and in the interstellar spaces. Let another Newton arise.
SOME ELEMENTS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
| Name. | Sign. | Masses. | Mean Dist. from Sun. | Mean Diameter in Miles. | Density. = 1. | Axial Revolution. | Gravity at Surface. = 1. | Periodic Time. | Orbital Velocity in Miles per sec. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earth's Dist. as 1. | Millions of Miles. | |||||||||
| Sun |  | Unity | 860,000 | 0.255 | 25 to 26d | 27.71 | ||||
| Mercury |  | 1/5000000(?) | 0.387 | 35-3/4 | 2,992 | 1.21 | 24h 5m(?) | 0.46 | 87.97d | 29.55 |
| Venus |  | 1/425000 | 0.723 | 66-3/4 | 7,660 | 0.85 | 23h 21m(?) | 0.82 | 224.70d | 21.61 |
| Earth | | 1/326800 | 1. | 92-1/3 | 7,918 | 1. | 23h 56m 4s | 1. | 365.26d | 18.38 |
| Mars |  | 1/2950000 | 1.523 | 141 | 4,211 | 0.737 | 24h 37m 22.7s | 0.39 | 686.98d | 14.99 |
| Asteroids | (No.) | |||||||||
| Jupiter |  | 1/1047 | 5.203 | 480 | 86,000 | 0.243 | 9h 55m 20s | 2.64 | 11.86yrs | 8.06 |
| Saturn |  | 1/3501 | 9.538 | 881 | 70,500 | 0.133 | 10h 14m | 1.18 | 29.46yrs | 5.95 |
| Uranus |  | 1/22600 | 19.183 | 1771 | 31,700 | 0.226 | Unknown. | 0.90 | 84.02yrs | 4.20 |
| Neptune |  | 1/19380 | 30.054 | 2775 | 34,500 | 0.204 | Unknown. | 0.89 | 164.78yrs | 3.36 |