New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-01-17

OF all the heavenly bodies the moon is the
nearest to us and the easiest to observe. It is es-
pecially interesting as the boundary between as
tronomy and meteorology; everything above the
moon is in the celestial heavens, and consequently
belongs to the former science; everything below
the moon is in the terrestrial sky, in the atmos-
phere, and therefore lies within the domain of the
latter. The connection between the moon and the
earth is closer than is often suspected. If line
be drawn from the center of the earth to the
center of the moon, there lies in it a point (much
nearer to the moon than to us) where the moons
and the eartls attraction on any material object
are exactly equal. If the object be removed
little towards US, it will fall upon the earth a
little the other way it will be drawn towards the
moon. Arago has calculated the force necessary
to shoot body from the moon to reach this inter
mediate point Of equilibrium, and finds it to be by
no means an impossible or unattainable force.
Consequently, it is not improbable that many
(thougl perhaps not ally of the meteoric stones
that fall sent hither from the moon. 1t
would be very possible for an inhabtant of the
moon, suppOsiuG such an nhabitant to exist, to
keep up a daily communication with the earth by
means of proiectes For lis to reply to the cor
respundenee, would be Immensely more difficult.
The nearness and conspicuousness of the moon
have caused the human race, from the highest an
tinnity. to attribute to it great influence on the
variation of the weather.
The earth and the moon are planets, or wander
ing globes, both receiving light from their common
center OF attraction, the sun but the moon is much
the greater wandCrGr of the two; for, being
satellite, or follower, she is constantly travelling
round her PRINCIPAL while the principal only travels
round the sun. Her orbit round the earth not being
circular but elptcal, she is sometimes nearer to US
than at other times, the extreme difference of dis
lance being about twenty-five thousand miles.
Her mean distance from the earth is about two
hundred and forty thousand miles, which is mere
trlne compared with the distances of the other
planets, and which looks like proximity itself if we
consider the distances even of the nearest fixed
stars. The moon is about two thousand one hun
dred and seventy five miles through. In regard to
volume, or size, she is only one forty ninth of the
magnitude of the earth to compare their respect
i've densities or heavness, the earth, taken a
whole, is nearly five and a half times as heavy
water. II we weigh one agangt the other we must
put eighty eight globes like the into one
scale before it will balance the earth in the other.
The most remarkable fact is that the moon al
ways shows one and the same illuminated face;
which is said to be caused by the perfect equality
of the time of the moons revolution on her own
axis and of her revolution round the earth. The
moon however, is subject to a slight swinging mo-
ton, called a bration, which brings sometimes
little piece of one side of the unseen hemisphere
into view, and sometimes little piece of the other.
The cause of the libraton is thus explained: When
the moon passed from liqueied, or fused to a
solid state, under the influence of the earth's at
| traction, she assumed form less regular than
would have been if no powerful attractive body
had existed in her neighborhood. The moons
equator, which would have been circular,
pulled into an ellipse by the action Of our globe
The moon would, therefore, appear to an observer
situated in an open space who could look at it trans
yersely, as an egg-shapcd body drawn out in the
direction of the earth-as sort of pendulum with
out visible string or rod of connection, the real
| rod being the force of gravity. When pendulum
is pushed out of the perpendicular its own weight
brings it back again; when the moons major axis
leaves its usual position, the earths attraction in
like manner forces it to return
The human race will never see but one face of
q hp
accounted for without having recourse to an almost
miraculous coincidence between the moons times
of rotation and revolution, which are really quite
Independent Of each other; find that it is due
to a physical cause, which is calculabe, although
it is visible only to the eyes of the mnd--name y,
| to the lengthening Of one diameter, which took
place in consequence of the earth's attraction,
when the moon cooled down into a solid body. II
there had existed, at the outset, slight difference
between the moons movements of rotation and
| revolution, the earth's attraction would have re
duced those movements to the strict equality
which we witness now.
And, as the fact of the moon exposed to our
view remains ever unchanged, so does the aspect
Of that face. Schroter studied the moon for years
in order to ascertain whether any alteration Of her
surface could be discovered Maedler, who began
in 1880, q grand typographical map of the moon,
which, with its accompanying treatise, was pub
lished at Berlin in 1857, was obliged to come to the
conclusion that as far as We are permitted to
judge, there is living thing, nor will there ever
be, in the moon. Any one who could behold the
earth from distance, would have his view Of our
UuutileHtS ali UGeaus Gohtinu1liy Intercepted by
curtains Of Clouds as one position became un-
vei!ed, another would be shrouded by shifting
mists. Spring would tinge. vast tracts of forest
land with green; winter would silver over still
wider areas with white. We see nothing of this
in the moon; not cloud, not token of change
of season, not an eXhalatOn to betraY the pres
ence of water not a refracted ray or tinge Of va
rying color to give reason to suspect an atmos-