The Mountaineer. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1859-1861, 1859-11-26
GREAT salt LAKE CITY. SATURDAY., NOVEMBER 26, ls5

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| in the morning and evening, before
sunrise and after sunset; and Is best
known al the Morning OF Evening
Star. II appears Ia us the most bril-.
liant and beautiful Of the planetary
and stellar bodies;and ut times giving 50
much light, as To produce q sensible
shadow When seen through telescope.
II appears horned, ON account az our
seeing only . part Of its luminous sur
face, and occasionally slight spots can
be seen ON the illuminated part. Its
surface seems to be very unequal, and
It's mountains range between1 D and 22
miles in height; and Is supposed to have
an atmosphere similar to the earth's
Venus Is seen passing over the face Of
the sun sometimes, ike a round dark
spot.
The EARTH, the third planet I'M
order, and one of the smaller sire,
though not the smallest, is the one thar
concerns us the most. It IS 1912
miles in mean diameter, rotating on is
axis in "A hours, At q mean distance Of
EE95, 600 900 #of miles from the sun,
around which it reyolyes in 3fj5 days
sl5 hours 4S minutes and 40 seconds.
Tho form OF the earth, and probably
that of every other planet,is not strictlyl
round like q ball, but is fattened
little at the poles, or extremities Of the
axis. The diameter of the earth at
the axis IS 26 miles less than in the
cross direction. This peculiarly of
FORM is In consequence Of the rotatory
motion. If this earth was viewed from
the moon, the distinction between its
Eseas, oceans, continents, and islands
would be clearly marked; for they.
would appear like brighter and darker
spots upon its disc or face. And the
earth would appear to an observer I'M
the moon as another great moon, about
fifty times the size of tho one lie would
be standing on; and 10 him the earth
also would appear 80 many times
I larger than the sun itself I. e.
/ The Earth has one satellite, the
/ Moon, which is q globe of 2160 miles
in diameter, and consequently about
THE fiftieth paltlof the size Of the earth,
revolving round il in ~ days, hours,
43 minutes and Ill seconds, at the
distance of 237 900 miles. The Moon
lis 400 times nearer the earth than the
sun Is; but being so much smaller, it
appears to us Of about the same size.
The Moon always keeps the same side
towards the earth, SO that she turns
lonce ON her axis as she moves round
THE earth; and her day and night are,
consequently, as long as the period
from new moon to full moon. As /
stated before, the earth acts as q moon
to her, being at the same time more
4 luminous; SO when it is new moon to
/ the earth, IL is d full earth to the
moon, and yice-versa. As the Moon
shines with no light beside that which
4she reflects from the Sun, it is evident
That her shape must depend on her
position in regard to the sun and earth.
4 when the earth is exactly in the mid
die, the whole illumed side OF the moon
will be towards the earth, and it will be
/ d full moon. When the moon is in the
middle, her dark side will be presented
4 to the earth; and it will be new, or no
moon. AS she proceeds from new to
Il full, more and more OF her light side
will appear, or il viii increase; and on
4 going from full to new, it will, Of
course, decrease. .1.z ... ..
H As both earth and moon cast long