SWIFT’S FLIGHT OF IMAGINATION.

Shannon News, 9 December 1924, Page 4

SWIFT’S FLIGHT OF IMAGINATION.

On Saturday, August 23,, Mars ... nearer to the earth —only: , some 24 million miles away—-than it has been > for ahundred years,, or. will be for the n,ext century.

. It may be interesting to note that, while the Earth, Jupiter, 1 Saturn,* etc,. 911 have moons, or satellites,! Mars i- showed none until. 1877* when, thanks ~ to an American astronomer, and- hla 26-inch j refractor.:; telescope, ~ two

minute moons were . discovered h .re*-> - volving round that, most planet. These moons tak© only—the 1 , one . seven and. a-half, the other thirty and a-quarter hours to ' complete a revolution.. In connection with this discovery .. (write s a correspbndent in Chambers’., Journal) mention must now. be made ; r of the most extraordinary fulfilment, of a flight, of human imagination that has ever been developed in the world’s history. >

Swift wrote "Gulliver's Travels” in the year 1726. He then spoke of the astronomers in the island of Laputa as being furnished with telescopes' so ", wonderful) that they' discovered not only one, !but two moons, revolving round Mars, one completing a revolu-.. tion in ten hours, the other in twentyone and a-half hours. • 1 It is surprising that he should have said there were two'moons, which is true, but is simply astounding that, he should have attributed to them periods of; revolution so small as to,be ■ utterly .at’ variance , with any facts 1 known about the solar system. And it seem s actually miraculous , that, he should have, so nearly to the ~tr u th, stated th£ periods of revolution t of. these two, moons of Mars, which .were , never even seen till a century';,ano. a-half later.