Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-09-11
or the CHRONICLE.
THE MOON,

THE MOON.
With the exception of the sun, the
moon is undoubtedly the most in,
teresting OF the heavenly bodies. II
assumes this pTe-eminent place
among the nocturnal luminaries in
consideration of its size, its 6riHianc5
and its phases. AS we peer into the
infinite depths of space in which the
consolidated. troopers execute their
deft and endless maneuvers, we per-
ceive another confirmation of that
oft repeated verse, "things are not
what they SEEM" The Chaldeans,
the Egyptians and all the old astrolo
gers were as devoted and as assiduous
and as persistent as were the Keplers,
the Newtons and Herschels of mod
ern times. The rosy fingered aurora
arose in the east to find them scan
ming the heavens with eyes that
never waxed dim; she hid herself
among the western hills to leave
them pursuing their studies with
energies that never waned. The
student Of the past may well enquire,
"Where are the fruits of all their
bold, brave labors ?" The dust, IL e
ashes and the discoveries Of twenty
centuries have doomed them to an
oblivion so deep, to forgetfulness so
complete, that they are as if they had
never been.' All of the ancient
astronomers were deluded in believ-
ing that things are what they seem.
Starting with this mistake they elab-
GRATED broad system of astronomy
which was completely overwhelmed
by the discoveries of Copernicus at
the beginning of the 10th century,
From this period we date the devel-
opment of our modern system of
astronomy. A system which has
substituted truth for error, certainly
for conjecture; a system which has
destroyed the lucrative business
which was long carried on by tricky
astrologers; and system which por-
trays the exquisite adjustment and
perfect harmony of universe fash
ioned by divine hand!
To all appearances the moon is
many times larger than any of the
myriad orbs that shed their subdued
and mellow light on this mundane
sphere; but science assures us that
she is one of the smallest, and that in
comparison with many of them which
seem but a speck in heavens great
arch, the moon is as a grain of sand
to a sea shore.
The calculated diameter of the
moon is 2l61 miles that of the earth
1925 miles, or the earth is nearly 40
times larger than the moon. On any
clear night just compare the full
moon with the brightest star of the
constellation, great bearI" The
moon will appear at least a hundred
times larger than any star, yet it is
not more than one millionth as large.
This paradox will be easi Y under
stood when we compare the distances
of these two bodies. The moon is
nearly 100000 miles from the earth,
while the star is several billions of
miles. It is utterly impossible to
gain anything like a correct idea of
the prodigious remoteness of many
stars. Suffice it to say that light
travels at the rate of 192, 900 miles per
second yet it requires 40 years for a
ray of light to travel from the horth
star to the earthl
When black clouds like flakes of
darkness float hurriedly through the
regions of thin air, the moon some
times darts her diverging beams
through their riffs with such bril-
liancy and distinctness that as we
run our eyes along their track we
are almost ready to exclaim, "surely |
we have traced these lines of light to
their sourcep "sureIy Luna from
her plenitude has dispatched a few
rays of light TO cheer US despondeDt |
mortals on our way ~ But here is
another ocular delusion. Luna is IS
great parasite as any that fiourishes
amid the luxurient foliage of a south
ern cline, as great a dependent as
any that ducks and fawns before a |
crowned head. Let but old Sol veil
his face and Luna would be shrouded |
in stygian darkness. She is fifty
esteemed a tickle goddess, ami like
many a mistress, her face only re-
fleets the smiles of her lord and mas
ter.
The sun gives us light by night as
well as DAY; the only difference be-
ing that at nighta dark, Opaque body |
is introduced, which, receiving the
light from the sun, transmits it to the
as looking glass reflects
the SUMS rays into the bottom OF a
deep well-while during the day the
rays come direct from the sun. The
moon 6OrrOlUs her light from the
same source that we borrow ours, and
she is so generous that she is contin-
ually transmitting US her surplus of
that precious commodity.
But of one thing we are certain,
viz: The moon really changes in
as viewed from the earth.
One evening she has veiled all but a
narrow strip of her face, gives us but
few timid glances and then is seen
no more that night. In a few days,
however, her mood has changed, and
the plains are bathed in floods of soft,
white light, and even the SYLVAN
gloom dispelled by her radiance.
The causes and explanation of these
changes we ltave for another time.
ELM.
A Louisville lady, who weighs
pounds, has a baby, only
-en months old, that weighs fifty
pounds. She calls it, instead OF the
Did man, her better half.
Grasshoppers are eating up every