The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1873-01-23
[From the Scientific Americana
The Latest News About the Moon.

No celestial body has attracted more
interest than the moon, and none has
given rise to more speculation; the
greater portion of the theories are utter
ly absurd, and in direct contradiction to
observation and to positive knowledge
founded on such observation, and to the
circumstances in which we know that the
moon exists. Our knowledge of the ma
ture of its surface is more positive than
that of any other celestial body, simply
by reason of the short distance it is plac-
ed from us; while the distances of all
other heavenly bodies is counted by ma
ny millions of miles, the distance of the
moon is only 80 times the diameter of
eur earth The result of this is that we
possess more correct knowledge of the
Typographical details of that part of its
surface which is always turned toward
US, than we do of many regions of our
own planet, for instance, the interior Of
Africa, Asia, Australia and South Ameri-
ca, which have been either not at all or
only partially investigated.
The first point we know positively is
that the moon is some so times smaller
than the earth and of the same den
sity; consequently gravitation, which is
ALWAYS in a direct ratio to the mass, is so
times less than on our earth, if we go to a
distance from the moons center, equal
to the terrestrial radius, 1000 miles. But
as on the moons surface we are about 6, Z
times nearer to its center (its radius be-
ing so much shorter,) gravitatlon is in
creased in the ratio of the square of this
number, by the law that the attraction is
inversely as the square of the distance /;
we have thus to take 1871 nearly, and
multiply this by $50 which gives nearly
O. 275 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 quarter of what 1T weighs
on the earth, the volcanic action, which
is the agent in lifting up noun ntains,
must be subject to only one quarter of
the resistance, and is able to lift, under
the same circumstances, four times as
much material as it does on 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,
particularly if we take in account the
smaller. size of the moon; of the two
spherical bodies, the moon therefore has
the most irregular conformation.
As the rotation of the moon is so much
slower than that of our earth, being only
once on its axis during % days, the time
of its revolution around the earth, there
is no appreciable difference in the
lengths of its polar and equatorial diam
eter; while in the case of our earth, the
equatorial. diameter is some 27 miles
longer than the polar axis an amount
surprising the highest mountains on our
earth some five times. AS the moon
turns always the same side towards 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, 1T really
revolves, and its different sides receive
successfully the solar rays, as we may OBJ
serve during the so-called phases of the
moon.
When those, phases are carefully no
ticed with a good telescope, especially
some days before or after the new moon,
it is seen that the uneven projecting
parts throw long shadows, the hight of
the mountains has been calculated 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 photo
graphy has recently been of great assist
ance; The study of these details by
means of the modern appliances has ex
ploded some old notions about the exist
ance of land and water on the moon,
about its atmosphere, and even about its
inhabitants There is no such thing as
consequently no rain, no seasons, no allu-
vial lands, no place where plants can
grow, and no animals to be fed by the
plants, conseque emily there is no life in
the moon; it is to all intents and pur-
poses, dead satellite. In order to OBJ
tain clear insight into the conditions of
Nature there, we have only to investigate
the natural condition of the tops of our
snow-capped mountain ranges, the Andes
=
up from the earth's surface that we prac-
tically may consider them as without an
atmosphere, and at mid day the sun
pours its tropical rays on their tops with
out raising their temperature enough to
melt the snow. Suppose, now that
large mountain top of this kind is raised
100000 miles high: there is no reason to
believe that the sun would communicate
more heat to the same. and if we increase
its mass to the size of the moon, the
effect will the same. This shows the alb
surdity of such reasonings as those which
ascribe, 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 is still colder than
the former, but the whole moon is always
at temperature far below the freezing
point and even far below that of our
highest mountain tops. This view is cor
roborated by several eminent astrono-
mers, who, being familiar with the
details of the moons surface, found the
very same details when ascending the
Peak of Teneriffe, which is an extin
guished snow-covered volcano. The ex-
animation of the moon shows indeed
more indications of volcanic eruption
than the earth, where the greater por-
ton of these indications have been, as it
were, washed away by the effects of the
atmosphere; succession Of heat and cold,
rain and frost, has abraded mountains,
decomposed rocks and changed them In
to earth and clay, and distributed them
in valleys and basins, and brought the
earth's surface to condition in which we
see it, and which, next in Importance to
an atmosphere containing oxygen. car
bonic acid and water is essential to the
existence of vegetable and animal life.
We must then conclude that the moon
is the opposite of the sun. In the latter
body, a temperature prevails, perhaps,
exceeding any heat we shall ever be able
to produce; in tho moon a most intense
cold exists If this body has not yet
cooled down to the temperature of the
absolute absence of heat, which most prob
ably is 460o below the zero of Fahrenheit,
it has at least reached q temperature GER
tainly far below the freezing point OF
water and even of mercury, OF which the
qualification takes place at zoe lower.
1t is at the present day. very amusing
indeed to read the old published accounts
of the observations Of the German as
tronomers Schroeder and Gruithuizen,
tho latter of which imagined, in 1922, he