The Outer Planets

Beyond the orbit of our planet earth lies the red world of Mars. It is the only planet of which we can clearly see the solid surface. When it comes into our night skies, it shines with a bright orange-red light. Through a telescope we see the orange-red globe marked by patches and streaks of a blue-green colour. These dark patches may be some kind of plant life. The narrow streaks are the famous 'canals'. What they really are is one of the most fascinating things which the space-craft of the future may be able to tell us.

Outside the path of Mars are the two giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn. They are both very cold worlds and though very beautiful to look at, they are surrounded by dense atmospheres of poisonous gases. Although we cannot think of Jupiter with its twelve moons, and Saturn with its splendid rings, as likely homes for living creatures like ourselves, the space-craft equipped with instruments will doubtless one day tell us much more about them.

Far beyond Saturn are the other two giant worlds. Uranus and Neptune, about which we know very little as yet. They are so far from the sun that its feeble rays cannot give them much warmth, and they could not possibly support living things like those we know on earth.

At the outermost edge of the sun's kingdom is the little world called Pluto, much smaller even than the earth, and three thousand, six hundred million miles from the sun. Beyond Pluto there is only empty space and the stars.