The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-10-11
The Moon a Dead star.

From ~ PtorldSset JofrnGi.
The 3laine Journal If Eiue,itioE has
translated an article from the CosmOs, In
which sAnislns Meunier gives some curl
Gus SpecuIations with regard 70 the
present physical condition Of the moon
His theory Is, and ho haS the support Oi
eminent astronomers like Beer, MOe,lleI
and AragO, that the moon Is a dead star
lie draws this inference from a singular
appearance upon the surface. which Is
called "grooves," by the physicists. These
grooves have parallel sides nearly y mile
In width, and from ten 10 one hundred and
twenty-five miles In length. There arC
already ninety Of them, and 1t is supposed
that more are in process Of formation.
Reasoning from analogy, we must believe
that At some period In the distant past,
the moon had au atmosphere and water,
and also that on account Of her inferior
size, she las cooled much moro quickly
uiSn the earth. The water penetrating
tho crust has been absorbed ~ the decrease
Of internal heat increased the thickness Ol
the crust, until long before the cooling pro,
cess had reached the centre, the water had
disappeared. The rocks then sOlidiiying
as the heat-supply diminished, contracted
In manner resembling the appearance
Of basalt and produced the grooves into
which the atmosphere settled. Hence
comes the chaotic appearance Of the moon
with It's immense mountains, volcanoes,
md cratcrs. SOmp astronomers have
detected an appearance Of action in some
OF the volcanoes; but the general opinion
is, that every vesIige Of physical life has
long since departed from the surface ol
our satellite.
These theories are all very well when
applied u our distant neighbor, the moon;
but VIC cannot slut our eyes TO the start.
ling fact that the earth Is undergoing a
similar process Of transformation. Geo.
lOgists trace close resemblance between
the circles inthc moon and the circles OF
granite and pOrphyry upon the earth.
They have also discovered evidences Of n
fine strntihcation among tho lunnr noun.
tains, while the volcanic formations bear
u dlsCCrnablc analogy to those Of Ten
Grille md Palma,
According TO the new theory, the fol-
lowing Is the process slowly taking place
on the eaFtlts surface for she, like her
subordinate, 10 gradually Colling: II u
estimated TINT one fifticih Of the original
ocean Inns been already absorbed, and that
when the crust Of the earth has become
one hundred miles in thickness every drop
of water will disappear. II is alsN estl-
mated that the earth could easily absorb
tiily oceans like those which now cover n
large portion Of the surface. All the
water ut present on earth constitutes only
ono twCnty.four. thousnndth part Of its
weight, and once absorbed would become
lnsensiblC to chemical analysis The
water being absorbed, tho earth willcrack
open like tho moon, and form similar
grooves into which tic atmosphere will
settle. Long before this cn NIL life will
have ceased.
Whether there is any truth in the thco.
nv or not, we have no immediate cause Ol
alarm; for the process will not advance
enough TO give the slightest record In the
short span Of single lifetime. Accord:
ing 10 the experiments Of BischoS, 1t will
take nine millions of years for tho earth
10 cool down fifteen degrees. This loss ia
almost impcrcCptiblc US the intcrna! heat
adds only u thirtietli ofa degree 10 the
temperature OF the surface.
II this process Is true Of tho earth and
the moon, the same c0lIses must produce
the same ELECTS in the other planets and
satellites Of tho System. Even the great
sun himself must he subjected to the laws