The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-11-01

HESEENc ER, SUNDAY. Y0VEl
traversipg space with the same velocity, be
would mot land here for the next siz
Dontha, for the moon 10 at . distance Of
2H, 600 miles from us. The famous tele-
scope OF Lord Rose in Parsonstown, Ire
land-the most powerful in the world-re.
duces this immense distance TO such q de.
gree that the lunar orb seems only forty
miles of; and there are telescopes in this
country through which we can view it as
well as though we were within 100 miles OF
it. Tho actual diameter of the moon is
about z, 600 miles.
RESULTS OF TELESCOPE OBSERVATION
Through our telescopes we can see that
her surface is diversified with hill and dale,
lofty mountains and mighty cavities, with
broad plains and towering isolated peaks,
very similar to the features presented upon
the surface of our own earth. Nay, SO far
has human science been developed that
Luna's elevations and depressions have
been exactly modelled, her mountain eleva-
tions measured and the depth of the
mighty cavities upon her face carefully de-
termined. Lying upon our backs and
viewing the moon through the telescope,
we find that her mountains, like ours, have
their submits first lighted by the rays of
| the rising sun, while the plains beneath,
and their rude, rugged sides, are in the
dreariest and deepest darkness.
It's hemisphere, subjected to the scrutiny
has been mapped with the greatest care.
TIE
RAGGED sUMMITS OF THE HILLS,
under tho rays of the sun, glow and sparkle
with wondrous beauty. As che changes
her course, the black shadows of the mas
slve rocks creep down into the valleys,
until the sun has reached the zenith. Then
the shadows steal up the towering crags,
hiding the plains below, until at length the
darkness. By measuring with micro
meter the apparent sizes of those shadows,
We are enabled to determine the heights of
the mountains which cast them, in the |
same way as we would determine the |
height of a church steeple>by measuring the
angle the sunbeaps fell upon it. One
range extends above a level country, and. |
known as The Apennines," is about 200 |
miles in extent. These are visible when |
tue moon passes its first quarter, and |
present q scene of unsurpassed beauty, |
with their silvery ridges and pitchy ravines'
The thousand hues which deck the sky and |
clouds on our planet are utterly absent
from the moon. Some of the mountains |
rise to height of 5000 to 10000 feet-a
height far greater in proportion TO it's sze
than are the Himalayas to the size of the
earth. In many places solitary peaks
tower abruptly to height of 6, 900 or 900
feet. The cavities excite eti!l more admit
ration and awe than the craggy hills. Some
of them sink to a depth of one, two and
three miles. Owing to the
BowL-sHAFED APPEARANCES
of these the theory has been advanced that
they are the craters of extinct volcanoes,
which view, as it finds an analogy in the
physical nature of the other planetary
bodies, confirms the belief that at one time
there existed on the moon violence of
chemical action, fractures and gigantic up
heavais OF matter such az have never been
known on our own globe within the mem
were once supposed to be lakes and seas
but this supposition is untenable.. One of )
these spots is circular in outline and has |,
lofty range of hills on the western and
southwestern sides. The range gradually
SINKS IN the east, and a sloping beach leads
down to a surface smoother than any lake.
Into this there seems to how o river of
great magnitude, extending back into a
country dotted with q hundred islands, and
then dividing into two branches which no
telescope can trace back beyond distance
of fifty miles.
THE VOLCANIC THEORY {
Of some of the central eraters is tolerabIy I
we'll established. One of these, named {
Copernicus, pear the eastearn limb, ia
situated near the Equator, and presents all
tue appearances of an extinct volcano. A /,
little TO the east of this IS another similar !
one called Kepler. Near the moou's south
arm limb ia another, named Ty che Such g
circular ranges have sometimes q diameter t
IF fifty miles and height of three miles
The greatest height of any lunar noun s
Jain thus far observed is about four aud a !
quarter miles. From some of the apparent y
volcanoes, there issue streaky radiations !
which extend in all directions to great dis v
ances across the deepest valleys and de- 9
'ressions. They are probably high ridges G
If great reflective power. These pbeno- n
nena are repeated across the visible eur o
ace of the moon, forming the massive and s.
glorious orb which has been the theme of
10 much poetry. In size the moon only is
me- fitch of that of the earth, but her o
nass is only one eightieth. II
INFLUENCE ON THE TIDES. O
Relatively small though this mass be, it o.
exerts an attractive power