登陆注册
5302100000033

第33章 BOOK II.(9)

"It is hard to realize,"said the professor,"that those mountains must be several hundred miles away,for the reason that they are almost entirely above the horizon.This apparent flatness and wide range of vision is of course the result of Jupiter's vast size.With sufficiently keen sight,or aided by a good glass,there is no reason why one should not see at least five hundred miles,with but a slight elevation.""It is surprising,"said Ayrault,"that in what is evidently Jupiter's Carboniferous period the atmosphere should be so clear.

Our idea has been that at that time on earth the air was heavy and dense.""So it was,and doubtless is here,"replied Cortlandt;"but you must remember that both those qualities would be given it by carbonic-acid gas,which is entirely invisible and transparent.

No gas that would be likely to remain in the air would interfere with sight;water vapour is the only thing that could;and though the crust of this planet,even near the surface,is still hot,the sun being so distant,the vapour would not be,raised much.

By avoiding low places near hot springs,we shall doubtless have very nearly as clear an atmosphere as on earth.What does surprise me is the ease with which we breathe.I can account for it only by supposing that,the Carboniferous period being already well advanced,most of the carbonic acid is already locked up in the forests or in Jupiter's coal-beds.""How,asked Bearwarden,"do you account for the 'great red spot'that appeared here in 1878,lasted several years,and then gradually faded?It was taken as unmistakable evidence that Jupiter's atmosphere was filled with impenetrable banks of cloud.

In fact,you remember many of the old books said we had probably never seen the surface.""That has puzzled me very much,"replied Cortlandt,"but I never believed the explanation then given was correct.The Carboniferous period is essentially one of great forest growth;so there would be nothing out of the way in supposing the spot,notwithstanding its length of twenty-seven thousand miles and its breadth of eight thousand miles,to have been forest.It occurred in what would correspond to the temperate region on earth.Now,though the axis of this planet is practically straight,the winds of course change their direction,and so the temperature does vary from day to day.What is more probable than that,owing perhaps to a prolonged norther or cold spell,a long strip of forest lying near the frost line was brought a few degrees below it,so that the leaves changed their colours as they do on earth?It would,it seems to me,be enough to give the surface a distinct colour;and the fact that the spot's greatest length was east and west,or along the lines of latitude,so that the whole of that region might have been exposed to the same conditions of temperature,strengthens this hypothesis.The strongest objection is,that the spot is said to have moved;but the motion--five seconds--was so slight that it might easily have been an error in observation,or the first area affected by the cold may have been enlarged on one side.It seems to me that the stability the spot DID have would make the cloud theory impossible on earth,and much more so here,with the far more rapid rotation and more violent winds.It may also have been a cloud of smoke from a volcano in eruption,such as we saw on our arrival,though it is doubtful whether in that case it would have remained nearly stationary while going through its greatest intensity and fading,which would look as though the turned leaves had fallen off and been gradually replaced by new ones;and,in addition to this,the spot since it was first noticed has never entirely disappeared,which might mean a volcanic region constantly emitting smoke,or that the surface,doubtless from some covering whose colour can change,is normally of a different shade from the surrounding region.In any case,we have as yet seen nothing that would indicate a permanently clouded atmosphere."Though they had walked a considerable distance,the water was not much cooled;and though the stream's descent was so slight that on earth its current would have been very slow,here it rushed along like a mountain torrent,the reason,of course,being that a given amount of water on Jupiter would depress a spring balance 2.55times as much as on the earth.

"It is strange,"said Ayrault,"that,notwithstanding its great speed,the water remains so hot;you would think its motion would cool it.""So it does,"answered the professor."It of course cools considerably more in a given period--as,for instance,one minute--than if it were moving more slowly,but on account of its speed it has been exposed to the air but a very short time since leaving the spring."Just before them the stream now widened into a narrow lake,which they could see was straight for some distance.

"The fact is,"said Bearwarden,"this water seems in such haste to reach the ocean that it turns neither to right nor to left,and does not even seem to wish to widen out."As the huge ferns and palms grew to the water's edge,they concluded the best way to traverse the lake would be on a raft.

Accordingly,choosing a large overhanging palm,Bearwarden and Ayrault fired each an explosive ball into its trunk,about eighteen inches from the ground.One round was enough to put it in the water,each explosion removing several cubic feet of wood.

同类推荐
  • 弥勒菩萨所问本愿经

    弥勒菩萨所问本愿经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 医贯

    医贯

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 护身命经之一

    护身命经之一

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Ramsey Milholland

    Ramsey Milholland

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 菩萨藏经

    菩萨藏经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 猎狐行动

    猎狐行动

    猎狐行动,是中国警察向境外经济逃犯的一次集中亮剑,在全国反腐大形势下,与狡猾的经济犯罪嫌疑人展开智慧的较量,取得丰硕战果。中国兵法、三十六计一一上演,尖峰对决、高科技手段,比比皆是。成功的缉捕,不仅来源于大国的实力,也来源于中国警察的信仰。警察作家吕铮,与猎狐缉捕组的成员们并肩作战,实时记载一线战绩。这是一本不一样的纪实作品,记载猎狐行动最前端的精彩故事。
  • 禁断空间

    禁断空间

    若不能超越天地逍遥方外,即便身化劫灰心亦不灭!一处让所有强者都绝望的大陆;一段化身神明可长生不死的传说;这里是庇护的温室?还是禁锢的牢笼?是上苍的垂怜与期待?还是天道的摒弃和诅咒!
  • 我仍是大佬

    我仍是大佬

    天灾?人祸?无人能云!笼罩在这个世界的死亡气息,无时无刻不在让存活下来的人类感受着绝望!“我不知道以后会怎样也不知道是否还有以后,我心中有着自己的原则,哪怕这个世界已不复曾经,吾心亦然不忘!”在一个平行世界里,一位追寻武道的隐修者,在这个怪物横行的世间中,毅然踏上了那条灭亡之路……
  • 我的主人是反派!

    我的主人是反派!

    于陌陌以为世上的事情再大也不过就是一个死。她又不怕死……然而她错了,原来世上最大的事,是有一个天蝎座腹黑大BOSS做自己的主人。——————————————————虞良辰:主人?呵……我只想做你的男人。于陌陌:那就要看你有没有这个本事了。
  • 绝密卷宗

    绝密卷宗

    废弃厂房惊现神秘面包车,车内十一名死者,现场发现的一辆车牌号将案件指向了三十三年前的一桩无头案件。这两起案件究竟有着怎样的联系?为了揭开案件真相,警方将目标对准三十三年前,开启那悬案的绝密卷宗!
  • 我和总裁结婚了

    我和总裁结婚了

    婚礼上一场陷害,她名声扫地,人人都欺她,踩她。一纸婚约,她成为云城霸主的掌心宝,小白花妹妹?踩!渣男?踩!想欺她?辱她?踩踩踩!夜少说,我老婆在云城就是要横着走。传言他不近女色,谁知婚后,浪漫大餐,英雄救美,土豪买买买,把她宠的无法无天。“夜少,你这样,我会误会你想追我。”“你竟然才看出来?看来我一直表现的不够明显!”苏沫,说好的不近女色呢?
  • 不周之上

    不周之上

    被神秘指引带来异世的陈观,面对着阴谋、诡计、谜团、仇恨,和莫名相似却诡异折变的历史走向,一步步用血决定,这一世不再随遇而安!投入命运万劫火,定要天地为我动!在这个生机勃勃而又杀戮丛生的世界,武力至上与道德沦丧交相辉映,没有文气的掩饰,只有血淋淋的现实。强者暴虐为主,弱者低微为婢!要改变那一切,最后的希望就在那不周之上!(非小白、慢热文)
  • On the First Principles of Government

    On the First Principles of Government

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 控命记

    控命记

    一个卧底,他想改变自己的命运,做自己,仅此而已。可是很难。但他会走下去。
  • 我修的可能是假仙

    我修的可能是假仙

    简介?不存在的,书都是假的,简介当然也是假的啊!哈哈哈哈哈哈,假的,都是假的,什么修仙,什么小说,统统都是假的!不要碰朕!朕不要吃药,朕没疯!总有书友想害朕!哈哈哈哈,你们这些人都想害朕,护驾!护驾!!!!VIP全订群的群号:229370094(新书《我真不是仙二代》隆重发布,全新旅程开启,亲们可以去看看啦!)