Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-11-14
The Latest News About the Moon.

49, $4,000 ~
given rise to more speculation; the greater
portion Of the theories are utterly absurd,
and In direct contradiction TO observation
and to positive knowledge, founded on
such observation, and to the circum-
stances IL which we know that the moon
exists. Our knowledge of the nature of
its surface is more positive than that Of
any other celestial body, simply byreason
of the short distance it is placed from us;
while the distances of all other heavenly
bod es is counted by many millions OF
miles the distance, Of the moon is only
thirty times the diameter of our earth.
The result Of this il that we possess a
more correct knowledge Of the topograpb.
zeal details Of that part of its surface
which is always turned toward US, than
We do OF many regions Of our W planet,
for instance, the interior u Africa, Asia,
Australia and South America, which
have been either not ut all or only partial
ly investigated.
The first point we kaow positively Is
that the moon is some fifty times smaller
than the earth, and is Of the same den.
sity; consequently grayitation, which is
always in n direct ratio to the mass, is
fifty times less than on our earth, II we go
to q distance, from the moons center,
equal to the terrestrial radius, 1000 miles,
But as on the moons surface we are
about 81 times nearer to its center tits
radius being so much shorter grayitatiOn
is increased in the ratio of the square OF
ihis number, by the law that the attrac-
ton Is lnversely rs the square of the dis
lance; we have thus to take
The square Of 81, or 1871, nearly,
and multiply this by 80 which
gives nearly 0.21j, or somewhat more
than a quarter, for the gravitation on the
moons surface compared with that Of the
earth. If, then, everything on the moons
surface weighs only "A quarter Of what it
weighs on the earth, the volcanic action,
which is the agent in lifting up noun
tains, must be subject to only o~ne.quarter
Ofthe resistance, and is able to lit, under
the same circumstances, four times as
much material as it does Oh our earth.
This theoretical view is in perfect accord
ance with observation, which has shown
that the mountains in the moon are much
higher than those on our earth, particular
ly if we take in account the smaller size of
the NOON Of The two spherical bodies the
MOON, therefore, has the most irregular
conformation.
AS the rotation Of the moon Is 80 much
slower than that of our earth, being only
c on its axis during twenty-ninc days,
the time Of its revolution around the
earth there is no apprcCiable difference
in The lengths Of its polar and equatorial
diameter; while in the case of our earth,
the equatorial diameter is some twenty
seven miles longer than the polar axis, an
an amount surprising the highest noun
tains on our earth some five times. As
the moon turns always the same side TO.
ward US, it is argued by some that it has
no aXial rotation, and this is true in regard
to the earth, but in regard to the sun it
really rCvolycs, and its different sides re
cpive SUCCESSFULLY the solar rays, as we
may observe during the so-called phases
of the moon.
When those phases are carefully no
ticed with a good telescope, especially
some days before OF after the new moon,
il IS seen that the uneven projecting parts
throw long shadows, which become short
er in proportion as the solar rays. come
nearer to the perpendicular; by measlr.
ing the lengths Of these shadows, the
height Of the mountains has been Calcu.
lated with the same accuracy as we may
perform the same operation on our planet,
and the different mountains and plains
have been mapped out, In doing which
photography has recently been of great
assistance, The study of these details by
means of the modern appliances has ex-
pluded some cid notions about the exist
ence of land and water on the moon,
about its atmosphere, and even about its
inhabitants. There is no such q thing as
water or an atmosphere in the moon, and
consequently no rain, no seasons, no alln-
( vial lands, no place were plants Gun crow,
and no animals to be fed by the plants,
consequently there is no life in the moon;
it is, 10 all t@ntents and purposes, a dead
satellite. In order to obtain a clear insight
into the conditions Of Nature there, we
has c only to investigate the natural con
dition Of the tops of our snow.cappcd
n ouniAin ranges. the Andes or the Him.
~alayas. They project SO high up from
the carth's surface that we practically
may consider them as without IN atmos.
phcrc. md MI midday the sun pours its
t~roDical RAYS on their tons without rails.
ing their temperature enough to melt the
snow. Suppose, now, that a large noun
thin ton Of this kind is raised 30 coo
miles high. there is no reason to believe
/ hat the sun would communicate more
heat ia the same and if we increase its
mass 10 the size of the moon. the solar
| effect will be all the I'M This shows
( the absurdity of such T~casonipgs rs those
which ascrihc. to that side of the moon
ON which the sun is shining, a burning
heat, and to the other side the opposite;
NO doubt the latter side isstill colder than
the former, but the whole moon is always
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