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FROM CROSBIEMORRISONNot a flying^ saucerNo feort need be felt obout the new osteroid, 1950DA, which aitrono-mers in California hove found.It has nothing to do with flying saucers,” atomic fission, the Iron Curtain, or the tram strike.It is merely one of many thousands of spherical or odd-shaped lumps of matter that have been whirling in space since almost the beginning of time, and onlv its small size has enabled ft to escape detection until now.Nine major planets move perpetually round the son at various distance*. In more or less circular orbits.Nearest the sun is Mercury, which from our vantage point 93 million miles from the centre of things is usually too close to the sun to be seen with advantage; even In Its most favorable positions we see It only lust after sunset or just before sunrise.Next comes Venus, shining brightly at present as the Morning Star, seen well up off the eastern horizon before sunrise.Our own Earth comes next, and then. In order. Mars, Jupiter. Saturn, Uranus. Neptune, and the recently discovered PlutoAnother planetBut there is some evidence there used to be another major planet between Jupiter and Mars, for In that broad band now we And not merely hundreds, but thousands of smaller objects, the asteroids or minor planets, which may well have been formed by the disruption of a much larger body Some of them have suffered such perturbations of their orbits that now. instead of keeping on their own aide of the white line, as It were, they have strayed across other traffic lanes In the sky. so that their orbits bring them cloee to the earth ,r even to Venus.The largest of them, Ceres, has a diameter of about 480 miles: the smallest yet observed was merely s Jagged mass of rock a mile across, but there are undoubtedly many thal are smaller still.Improved telescopes and improved photographic ma-term Is. are gradually bringing them Into our ken, a« witness the news reportla it naw on*?One may be excused though. lor wondering whether 1950DA Ik Indeed u new asteroidIts characteristic* a* cabled from America air very slinllai to those of (lieHeininutli object1 discovered in May 1932 u minor planet about u mile In diameter, with u very eccentric orbit capable of bringing n Inside the orbit of Venus mid a period of revolution of about two yearsIn 1982 ll came within til million miles of the ruilh, but It Is capable of approaching within two million milae The distance of |9blt;iLA. five million miles, s thus weil within ilh capabilities It msy well be (hut the two err Identical
Newspaper Details
Adelaide Mail
Adelaide, South Australia, AU
Sat, Apr 08, 1950
Page 57
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA 08 May 2023
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