I daresay they are more like what
we should call volcanic clouds. Do you see how they keep changing?
That's what's bothered our astronomers. Look at that big one yonder a
bit to the north, going from brown to red. I suppose that's something
like the famous red spot which they have been puzzling about. What do
you make of it?"
"Well," said Zaidie, looking up from her telescope, "it's quite certain
that the glare must come from underneath. It can't be sunlight, because
the poor old Sun doesn't seem to have strength enough to make a decent
sunset or sunrise here, and look how it's running along to the westward!
What does that mean, do you think?"
"I should say it means that some half-formed Jovian Continent has been
flung sky high by a big burst-up underneath, and that's the blaze of the
incandescent stuff running along. Just fancy a continent, say ten times
the size of Asia, being split up and sent flying in a few moments like
that. Look! there's another one to the north! On the whole, dear, I
don't think we should find the climate on the other side of those clouds
very salubrious. Still, as they say the atmosphere of Jupiter is about
ten thousand miles thick, we may be able to get near enough to see
something of what's going on.
"Meanwhile, here comes Calisto. Look at his shadow flying across the
clouds.
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