Page:The evolution of worlds - Lowell.djvu/285

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NOTES
243

sunrise . . . . . . . . 8.0
sunset . . . . . . . . 1.0

If, however, the bodies were all moving in the same sense as the Earth, i.e. direct, the ratios would be:—

Parabolic Speed Speed of Short Period Comets Speed of Actual Short Period Comets About Jupiter
Sunrise 2.4 3.5 3.3
Sunset 1.0 1.0 1.0

As the actual number encountered is between 2 and 3 to 1, we see that the greater part must be travelling in the same sense as the Earth, since they come indifferently at all altitudes from the plane of her orbit.


2

Densities of the Planets

The densities of the principal planets, so far as we can determine them at present, the density of water being unity, are:—

Mercury 3.65
Venus 5.36
Earth 5.53
Moon 3.32
Mars 3.93
——— mean 4.36

Jupiter 1.33
Saturn 0.72
Uranus 1.22
Neptune 1.11
——— mean 1.09
Sun 1.38

The second decimal place is not to be considered as anything but an indication.


3

Variation in Spectroscopic Shift

In the case of a body reflecting light, the shift differs from that for a body emitting it. If the planet be on the