SATURN, 85,782 miles in diameter or about 1000 times as large as the Earth, is still a more remote planet from the Sun, round which he revolves in about 30 of our years, at the distance of 916 millions of miles. He moves in his orbit at the rate of 22,298 miles every hour, and upon his axis in 10H. 16M. by this swift revolution on his axis his figure becomes oblate in the proportion of 11 to 10, and his atmosphere and vapours are drawn like a quintuple belt of 3 darker parts and 2 lighter upon his body. Saturn is attended by seven Satellites, the outermost has been long known to have a period of apparent augmentation and diminution, and hence probably to have a revolution on its axis, and be composed of land and water.
A large, broad, double, and luminous _ring_ of 200,157 miles diameter, surrounds Saturn, at a distance from the planet equal to the breadth of the ring.—This ring inclines about 30 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic, and must appear like a great arch of light to the inhabitants of Saturn. It has a revolution every eleven hours on an axis perpendicular to its plane, and keeps parallel to itself at all times; hence it disappears twice every 30 years, when its edge is presented to us; the Sun shines for near 15 of our years together on the northern plane of the ring; and then leaving it, illumines the southern side for the same period; so there is but one day and one night on each side of the ring, but each will be of 15 years continuance without intermission.
The Sun’s direct light being but about a 90th part so strong to Saturn as to the Earth, this ring is no doubt intended to increase it, by reflecting a very considerable portion upon the planet, which added to that from his seven Satellites, must render him a very comfortable abode for rational and brute inhabitants.
The GEORGIUM SIDUS, or Georgian Planet (so called by Dr. Herschell, its ingenious and indefatigable discoverer) makes the seventh in the order of the system; the other planets we have described have been known as such to the highest antiquity, but from its extreme smallness, this has escaped ascertainment till the year 1781, although it had been recognized as a very minute star by several astronomers. It is near twice Saturn’s distance from the Sun, and will be near eighty-two years and six months in going round him; is of a pale colour, and much larger in its telescopic appearance than the fixed stars, being 100 times as large as the Earth, or 37,230 miles diameter, and, on a clear evening, is visible to the naked eye. The Dr. has discovered six satellites to this planet, some of which are said to move retrograde. As familiarity is the principal design of this Treatise and Lecture, it may be useful to exhibit the distances of the planets from the Sun in the most concise form, and in numbers they will stand thus:—if the distance from the Sun of