SATURN'S RINGS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1396, 23 March 1912, Page 12

SATURN'S RINGS.

■ -fr Saturn, ib 13 rumoured, is losing its rings. 11. Camillc T'lammarion,' the popular ironcli astronomer, snvs : "Salmil has always boon a capricious planet. It 15 the lightest of the planets, ami is tor over changing ur iloiiifr something unexpected. Tho moods of Saturn since the planet has been known lo astrunomv woiilrt form a romou'ic of its kind. ] havestudied the astronomical records, descripticns, observations, and drawings for the last 250 years or more. J find I hat Saturn presented four distinct dimensions of its rings in !G57, in 1701), in IS3I, and 1882. Perhaps we arc now join',' (0 have onlv nnolher phase. I'ntil further facts cum'e to light, I am inclined to think that il is simply a more accentuated oblique allele nl; which we perceive the planet and its rings, which thereby perhaps manifest aspects of their composition which we had not seen before. Hut even if the nnj;s were to dissolve or t-i fall on the planet, it does not seem that it would have the slightest effect on other planets. Jt would merely be an incident in its own internal economy ;.s fur as tvo are concerned, or as far, at least, as we could perceive it."