Astronomy and the Bible;

THECLOCKOFTHEUNIVERSE 221

moretimethantheearth's. Marsmarksoffadivision
ontheclockoftheskiesbyarevolutioninabout 687
days,oraperiodwellalongtowardtwoofouryears.
Jupiterrequires4,332days,orsomethingovereleven
years. Saturn's period is nearly 30 years; that of
Uranus, more than 84 years; and Neptune's,nearly
165 years.

8. Thereisstillanothergreatperiodoftimemarked
   offonthedialoftheskies,butI cannottellyou its
   length. Itisthegiganticperiodindicatedbyonerevo-
   lutionofthesunarounditscenter,whereverthatmay
   be. Thesunismovingovertenmilesasecond—yes,
   betterthan sevenhundredmilesaminute. Itcarries
   alltheplanetsofoursystemwithitatthisastounding
   pace. Anexpresstrainmakesperhapsamileaminute,
   butthesunmovesoversevenhundredmilesaminute.
   Yetitsorbitissovastlylargethatastronomerscannot
   detecttheslightestcurvatureinit. Thesunseemsto
   bemovinginastraightline;butwearesurethatthis
   cannotbe, for everypath yet found fora heavenly
   bodyis aclosedorbit,unlessweexceptsome ofthe
   comets. Thegreatbodiesoftheskiesmoveincircles
   orellipses.
   Howmanyaeonsofagesitwillrequireforthesun
   oncetoencircleitsmightyorbit,nomancansay. But
   thefactofsuchamonstrouscycleoftimeonthedial
   oftheclockoftheskies tellsussomethingofthose
   ageswhichbelongtoHim who"inhabiteth eternity."
   Fromeverlastingtoeverlastingisthemeasurementof
   Hisexistence;andthatwhichHehasmade shadows
   forthsomethingofthegreatnessofHisinfiniteyears.