Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-08-12
Some Ideas about the Noon.

While the sun has for years engaged the
close scrutiny Of astronomers in England
and elsewhere, the moon has not been neg
lected. If anything, i has been the sub
ject OF more rigorous investigation, because
II is 20 much nearer at haEd, and alto
gether more manageable as an object Of
scientific inquiry. It's at length disclosed
TO us to be great barren waste Of rugged
mountains and extinct volcanoes, the whole
devoid Of air, water, vegetable or animal
life--a rocky solitude going without inter-
mission drearily round the earth--for the
earth's, not for it's own advantage.
The mean distance at which the moon
makes these circuits is 237 900 miles. OBJ
served by powerful telescopes, itsappareut
distance is brought within t~o or three
hundred miles. which distance affords a
good outline Of objects, but nothing can be
distinguished smaller than what will meas
ure. hundred and ffty yards across.
Among astronomers there are hopes that,
by enlarged telescope powers, We may
bring the moon as clearly before us as we
can see Mont Blanc from Geneva with the
naked eye. As every one knows, the moon
is visible by means Of tho light which is
thrown upon il by the sun. Moonlight
may therefore, be called sunlight at second
hand.
The moon, however, may sometimes be
seeu BY the suns light being reflected upon
il from the earth. This earth light on the
moon is seen in particular conditions of the
atmosphere, within day or two after new
moon. At such a time the old moon, as
people are pleased to call it, is said to lie
in the new moons arms--an evil omen, as
was once supposed the light shining dimly
on the body lying within the bright crcs-
cent being nothing else than earth-shine,
and no omen either good or bad.
by receiving and rejecting the suns
rays, the moon is obviously an Opaque
sphere, which by my best computation is
., l60 miles 10 diameter, or about a fourth
of that Of the earth. Rotating on its axis,
it revolves round the earth in the same
measure of time, that is, twenty.seven days
aud a quarter. 10 other words, its rota-
tory motion is twenty-seven and half
times slower than that of the earth. In
consequence Of the rotatory motion on its
axis, aud its revolution round the earth,
coinciding, the moon always presents the
same side to us The sun, however, lights
it up on both sides. All times we are able
to see little more than one side-as much
as four-sevenths Of its surface-the attitude
Of the moon in relation to the earth letting
us, as it we're, look round the edge. This
phenomenon. which was traced by Calico
to its true cause, is explained as follows by
the writers before US /: The centre Of mo-
ton of the moon being the centre Of the
earth, it is clear that an observer, on the
surface Of the latter looks down upon the
rising moon as from an eminence, and thus
he is enabled to see more or less over OF
around her. As the moon increases in alti-
tude, the line Of sight gradually becomes
parallel to the line joining the observer and
the centre Of the earth, and at length be
looks her full in the face f; he loses the full
view and catches another side-iace view as
she nears the horizon in setting" These
changes in the point Of view. have greatly
facilitated the taking Of pictorial photo.
graphs of the moons surface.
These photographs can, of course, be ex-
ecuted only in a calm and clear atmos-
phere, when the moon is at the full, and Ia
wait for such opportunities great patience
is required. If all other circumstances be
favorable, the atmosphere is partly cleared
by the action Of the moon, for its rays
though ordinarily described as cold-"the
cold, chaste moon"-partake in a small de-
gree of the heat Of sunshine, and accord
ingly exert dispersive influence on the
clouds. A succession of clear moonlight
nights is known to farmers to have ripen
ing effect on grain,
Looked at even with the naked eye, tn,
moon is not uniformly clear body. Il
has dusky and light spots, signifying that i
has an irregular surface. The dusky por
tions which collectively cover about twC
thirds of the disc, were at one time con
sidered to be seas, and such they are some
times still called. Close examination b.
powerful telescopes shows that these sea
like spaces are only plains, on which ther,
are comparatively few prominences to rehec
the suns light. The features Of the moon
mos,lv in ,bo shono or o;ro,,lo. ora,o.. =
volco1oes some IF vost d;mersans an,
rnanv of q small s;,o Ros;dos ,hosn .; .o',
lar wort;nes which 90 10 sreaL civo
nock .nitted .nnearance 70 ,ba wbole sur
f.co ihora ara s,re,chos ~ rna,od ond Mo
tu,esona mountains Of croot eIt;,rdo al
seem;nolv Of volcanic or;s;n ira c;,cn
Ior c,eter. form marL;nas oro diverse !,
; character In some cases ,hev ,nnoar =. /;
crownino mountain.beans or .sbes and c;n
dsro in sho mannor of E,na ana v.sur;,s
in o,bsr ;ns,aneas whora ,ha od.os 81 ~
or.,ors do n", v;sa ahone ,ha n,s;pS ,ha rol I
caroes rosemhIo ,rod;a;ons bolIows mia III,
in brsad,h md dsn,h Tba, ,he whoI
have at ons Tina been IN v"lcon;o ao,;or
- oSv;"ns ~ Ssoa, I ,S. c., ~. ~ ~. ~ ho,,o, n
nr ,ba ora,ors a,o saon ,ha rom.;ns IS ~
small tansr;nr cones whence ,bs lava an, m
ashes were rre;ec,ed
''' ~,
Inc picture map OF tue moon con'aine'
ID ,he WORK peioro US presents 'ne outline
Oh ,"o hunureu anu 'wen'y'eign' cra'ers
san.I,,da H., 49,. c,,,r .o,, ',,
sor ON ,hs o,her..v ,nw.rSi 81 sva hnn
E IA :, ali Tho hn,t or ,hnso wh;oh w ~.
! r;s;hIa ara ,o.r whs, No woula ali A.
80, 80 a. oon e. mh;ah ~
oInr.,sr;na Ir BECOMES las dsnss h,, w,,h sov