Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 128, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 May 1911 — Jupiter's the Sky Thief. [ARTICLE]

Jupiter's the Sky Thief.

The planet Jupiter has been found guilty, on both direct and circumstantial evidence, of stealing comets, says Prof. D. J. McAdajn, writing In Harper’s Weekly. There are some thirty comets whose orbits lie so close to Jupiter's that the homage which they seem to pay to him cannot be accidental. Rut Jupiter has been caught red-handed. In 1787, as s certain comet was passing Jupiter's orbit on Its 48-year period, Jupiter tried to steal It and succeeded in reducing Its period to one of five and a half years. But Jupiter cannot catch every comet which he attacks. In 1779 he tried again, and his greed spoiled his work. He pulledout the period of its orbit from five and a half to twenty-seven yean. In 1889 Jupiter pulled back the orbit to one of seven yean and spilt it Into five pieces. His next chance will arrive In 1981, when he may capture or destroy it