Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-02-21
The Green Fields Of the Noon.


When the noon Is 1t the full, The Inas-
sisted eTo readily aigtingulshes IN her
lace certain dark gray spots more Or less
sharply epaTAted from the brighter por-
tons. through The telescope these spots
"ppei't -ts 3IOau ever spaces resembling
terrestrial seas. Indeed the early obserT-
2ts mlsIook them ior ,eas, ana by That
name latin, mare.j they are known 20
lls lay They IRE not seas. however.
but ancient 5ea-1eds. now probably near
y, 4 not quite. destitute Of water; vast
Irld basins, like he 1ahara. " The great
Interior Y ian basin ot our own continent.
Examined more closely, these dried-up
'ea.ueus IRE seen 10 nave rolling surface
IKE some Of Jur Western pralries. In
many places formations Ji IN apparently
t.Iuv'al character abound. while the IN
cent coast ines show distinct traces 0I
water lcIOn. Two oI these lunar plains
Mare 1llmornm and Mare Cbusium-
IRE walled n completely by lofty noun
-aln,, presenting sLupen5ous preeiplces TO
ue vanished sea. LAe larger mares gUc
more Ike ocean beds. They run .ogeGher
Is terresLlAt oceans 10, and sometimes
merge INTO the brighter continental re-
Zon>, without distinct Inc Of Iemarka-
ION. In other places hey show rug
-ed coast line, rising into cliffs and peaks
and pierced 1t times by valleys and ruv-
mes.
One Of the most conspicuous Of these Iu-
mar ocean beds. GsO one Of The deenest. Is
known Is the Mare Sercultatis Its area
is l25.OuS square miles Within its dark
gray border. rom 30 to 80 miles wide. Is
IN extensive inner plain which ut times
presents ine clear light green lint,
with central streak Of pure white the
Green area wing lowcr apparently than
he TRAY exterior. The green int is diff
sa.s 10 1arcu. except under favorable con.
ulti0ns and IS much weakened bv The IF
feet pt numerous small white round spots
ana gar rlaTes
Another oI The moon green plains was
discovered by Nader n The Mare IIumo-
.um. already mentioned. This IS one Of
The smallest is we'll IS most distinctly Dor
dered Of the dark Zrav plains Its area IS
30 600 square miles. The greater portion
oi Is interior 5 distinctly tiuged u iuskT
green. sometimes very marked. atfording
G.. strong contrast With the pure grav uI
the borders aud high enclosing ridges.
On -he vest he green area extends Hear-
.y he edge OF he marc, but elsewhere.
As L tie Mare Sereu!Jau,, It Is separated
rom .lIe border by a narrow darker grav
fringe, except on he northwest, where he
gray lnd green treas merge inseHsIbIr IN
10 each other.
These and other color changes On the
face IF be moon-gs. for Instance. the
darkcu. ~ Of The great ring plain Of Plato
with Increasing light, and Ike changes in
certain ung, winding lunar valevs-ie,
Beer and Mailer 10 suggest 'hlt they
would indicate vegetation. we're vagetn-
lion possible on The surface Of lie moon.
But having accepted Bessel's conclusion
thaJ tuere could he neither air nor water
On HE .uuar surface. aud consequently no
iie. those muCA-respected seleuograpaers
could uoG entertain .he hypothesis Of In.
mar vegetation. however strong the evi-
ienee might seem.
But Bes-ei's opinion is inconsistent not
only with the condition on which he based
his calculations, Jut also With The result Of
more recent studies vi The state Of the
moon surface. So lar from being IN air
ess. waterieas, uuateruDle desert, u
ehaugeless mass Of dead matter. ike so
much voIc ME scoriA. the moon is now
known % have IN atmosphere of eonsidera-
be volume and density. to present abun-
daut evidence Of physical activity ana
change, and to have in lIl probability wa
ter enough o make ile easily possible on
lis s1rftea The rnnnu il Ivirro- i,,tt ,-47-,-
far from dead Being so much smaller
than he earth. it has run It's COURSE more
rapidly, uut : still 4 good way off from
that goal Of ultimate deadness 10 which So
many astronomers have theoretically as-
signed it. There is not The slightest ade-
quate evidence Of the popular view, ana