The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-05-04
THE MOON A DEAD STAR.
From the Provi dence Journal.

Tie Maine Journal Of E1ucation has
translated an article from the Cosmos, in
which Stanisiaus Meunier gives some Gu
rious speculations with regard to the pre-
sent physical condition of the moon.
His theory is, and he has the support
OF eminent astronomers like Beer, Moed-
Ter, and Arago, that the moon is a dead
star. He draws this inference from sin
| gular appearance upon Ehe surface, which
lis called "g-ooves' by the physicists.
! These grooves have parallel sides nearly
u mileln width and from ten to one nun
dred miles IN length. There are already
NINETY d them, and it is supposed that
| there are more n the process of forma-
ton. Reasoning from analogy, we must
| believe that at some period in the dis
tant past, the moon had an atmosphere
and water, and also that on account of Ter
inferior size, she has cooled much more
quickly than the earth. The water pene
trating the crust, until long before the
process had reached the centre, the water
had disappeared. The rocks then solidi-
flying, as tue heat diminished, contracted
in manner resembling the appearance
Of basa't, and produced the grooves into
(which The atmosphere settled. Hence
comes the chaotic appearance Of the
moon, with its immense mountains, vol
canoes, and craters. Some astronomers
have detected the appearance of action
IN some OF the volcanoes; but the gener-
al opinion is that every yestige Of ply
steal life has long since departed from
our satellite.
/ These theories are all very well when
appliedto our distant neighbour the moon,
but we cannot shut our eyes to the start
ling fact that the earth is undergoing q
similar process of transformation Geol-
ogists trace a close resemblance between
the circles in the moon and the circles of
granite and porphyry upon the earth
They have also discovered evidences of 81
line qualification among the lunar noun.
talns, while the volcanic formation bears
a discernible analogy to those of Tene-
rife and Palma.
! According to the new theory, the FOL
lowing is the process slowly taking place
on the earths surface, for she, like her
Isubordinate, is gradually cooling: 1t is
estimated that one fiftieth of the original
ocean has been already absorbed, that
when the crust OF the earth has become
one hundred miles in thickness every
) drop of water will disappear 1t is also
estimated that the earth could easily alb
sorb fifty oceans like those which now
cover large portion Of the earth's sur
face
All the water at present on the earth
constitutes one-twenty four. thousandth,
part OF its weight, and once absorbed
would become insensible to chemical
analy sis. The water being absorbed, the
earth will crack open like the moon, and
form similar grooves into which the al
mospherlc will settle. Long before this
era all life will have ceased
Whether here is any truth in the the
DRY or not, we have no immediate cause
!, or alarm, Tor the process will not ad
vance enough to give the slightest record
in the short spanof single lifetime. Ac
cording to the experiment of Bischof, it
will take nine millions of years for the
earth to cool down fifteen degrees. The
loss is almost imperceptible, as the in
ternal heat adds only a shirtieth of de-
gree to the temperature of the surface
1t the process is true of the earth and
i the moon, the same cause must produce
the saline effect in the other planets and
satellites of the system. Even the great
sun himself must be subjected to the laws
that rule his subordinates. Therefore,
the time must come in the distant ages
Of the hereafter, when the sun, planets,
and moon. losing every yestige of heat,
will have absorbed every drop of water
in their thickened crusts, and will have
imprisoned every particle of atmosphere
in their huge assures
The solar system, now so grandly beau
tiful, will then he but an assembage Of
dead worlds, without a ray of light
without wave of heat, with0uc drop
of water. without u breath of air floating
round in he lninensiiy of space, bound
t.,2ethrr 10y the lsy of grayitafion in this
/ rmirAee ~ dc TIKI
Ills not a pirasng specu ation; it is
piiiios phicai one.
There is nothing beautiful and good
that dies and is forgotten. An infant, a
prattling child, dying in its cradle, will
live again in the better thought of those
who loved it, play its part, though it's
body be burned to ashes or drowned in
the deepest sea. There is not an angel
added to the hosts Of Heaven, but does