Figure 60, facing page 247, represents Saturn, as it appears to a powerful telescope, surrounded by its rings, and having its body striped with dark belts, somewhat similar, but broader and less strongly marked than those of Jupiter. In telescopes of inferior power, but still sufficient to see the ring distinctly, we should scarcely discern the belts at all. We might, however, observe the shadow cast upon the ring by the planet, (as seen in the figure on the right, on the upper side;) and, in favorable situations of the planet, we might discern glimpses of the shadow of the ring on the body of the planet, on the lower side beneath the ring. To see the division of the ring and the satellites requires a better telescope than is in possession of most observers. With smaller telescopes, we may discover an oval figure of peculiar appearance, which it would be difficult to interpret. Galileo, who first saw it in the year 1610, recognised this peculiarity, but did not know what it meant. Seeing something in the centre with two projecting arms, one on each side, he concluded that the planet was triple-shaped. This was, at the time, all he could learn respecting it, as the telescopes he possessed were very humble, compared with those now used by astronomers. The first constructed by him magnified but three times; his second, eight times; and his best, only thirty times, which is no better than a common ship-glass. It was the practice of the astronomers of those days to give the first intimation of a new discovery in a Latin verse, the letters of which were transposed. This would enable them to claim priority, in case any other person should contest the honor of the discovery, and at the same time would afford opportunity to complete their observations, before they published a full account of them. Accordingly, Galileo announced the discovery of the singular appearance of Saturn under this disguise, in a line which, when the transposed letters were restored to their proper places, signified that he had observed, "that the most distant planet is triple-formed."[13] He shortly afterwards, at the request of his patron, the Emperor Rodolph, gave the solution, and added, "I have, with great admiration, observed that Saturn is not a single star, but three together, which, as it were, touch each other; they have no relative motion, and are constituted of this form, oOo, the middle one being somewhat larger than the two lateral ones. If we examine them with an eyeglass which magnifies the surface less than one thousand times, the three stars do not appear very distinctly, but Saturn has an oblong appearance, like that of an olive, thus, {oblong symbol}. Now, I have discovered a court for Jupiter, (alluding to his satellites,) and two servants for this old man, (Saturn,) who aid his steps, and never quit his side."