Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-08-23

things, and so sit in the lower seats in
the feasts of life, discontented because
it is so. Salt is good-and free for all.
f. w. G.
Is the Moon Inhabitedl
English Mechanic.
The writer of these remarks has re-
peatedly had the above question put to
him; in return we would put the follow
ing: What evidence have we of the ha-
bitability of the moon? Some writer's
have indulged in the speculation that,
with the large telescopes now in exist
ence, armies Of soldiers, troops of ele-
plants and such like may be detected
on the march, and others have surmised
that buildings might be seen and the
style of architecture ascertained. The
ideas such extraordinary statements
may induce in the minds of the unedu-
Gated, render it desirable to examine a
little into 9he probability Of obtaining
such results.
The diameter of the moon is 2,163
miles; but as it never remains at the
same distance from the earth, being
sometimes nearer and sometimes fur
ther, it never presents the same appar-
ent diameter as seen in the sky. When
nearest the earth it is seen under the
largest angle, or 33 minutes, 1920 sec
onds; but when furthest from the earth
it is seen under the smallest angle, or
% minutes, 1856 seconds. Now it fol-
lows from the relation between the real
and apparent diameters of the moon, at
its mean distance from the earth, that
a second of arc is the angle under which
mile and little more than the tenth
Of mile, is seen at the centre Of the
moons disc; again, as a second is pretty
near the smallest distance that can be
clearly discerned, it follows that bull
ding on the moon to be distinctly seen
we may say to be seen at all-must
be about square mile in extent, and
then it would be seen only as spot
light or dark according to the materials
of which it was built reflected larger
or smaller quantity of light.
There are some very level plains on
the surface Of the moon, surrounded by
mountains. One such plain has been
carefully examined; it is about sixty
miles The mountain wall rises to a
height of 5000 feet on the south, 5000
feet on the west and north, and $500 on
the east. On the wall are four lofty
pinnacles of rock, three on the west and
one on the east. The highest, which is
| on the east, rises to the height of 7,41S
feet above the level interior; the next
highest is on the west; its altitude is
1883 feet; the two lower rocks are re-
spectively 1896 and 5,129 feet above
the interior.
Let us place ourselves, in magma
nation, within the confines of this noun
tain cinctured plain and view from it's
center it's girdling rocks at distance of
thirty miles; they would appear from
this point under a vertical angle OF very
little more than one degree, and the
highest rock on the east would subtend
an angle of less than three. 1t is be-
lieved that no other portion Of the moon
has undergone so close a scrutiny as
this.
For three years has its surface or
floor been examined during sunshine up
on it, with telescopes able to bring small
objects into view, and the results care
fully discussed, from which it appears
that nowhere on the plain has anything
at all approaching the nature of build
ing or collection of buildings been de-
tected. At various intervals, as many
as thirty-slx small white spots have
been seen during the three years, but
never the whole together. Ten of these
spots have been ascertained to consist
of volcanic cones, the bases having an
average diameter Of one mile; the base
of the largest, near the center of the
plain, certainly does not exceed two
miles.
With the exception of these natural
productions, nothing, sufficiently eleva-
ted above the surface to cast a shadow
at sunrise or sunset, exists on this plain;
there are, indeed, some remarkable var
iations of brightness upon it: for exam
pie, about the middle Of the day, when
the sun is highest, it appears very dark,
almost black; but there is nothing to
induce the opinion that patch OF a
different tint exists anywhere on this
plain, such as might be supposed to
arise from collection of buildings COW
ering space of four or FIVE miles in ex-
tent. From such facts as these, the re-
suits of close and unremitting obserya-
tion, into which conjecture is not per-
mitted to enter, we are forced to the
conclusion that the evidence we possess
of habitability Of the moon is very
scanty. Indeed, it does not even fur
nish clew by which we might insti-
tute series of observations likely to
lead to positive result.
1t must, however, be remembered
that the walled plain Plato, to which
the foregoing remarks refer, is but a
very small part Of the moons surface,
and it would be manifestly unsafe to
draw any conclusions on the above
question from the examination Of so
small part; carefully as that part had
been examined.
While there may be great difficulty
in detecting any evidence Of artificial
construction, it is beginning to be as
certained that there is not so much diff
ficulty as formerly in detecting in
stances Of physical change.
The discovery in May, 1877, by DR..
Klein, of dark spot northwest OF Hy-
ginus, where nothing of the kind had
been seen before, combined with the
celebrated case of Linnie, will go far
to show that changes of phys
ical character, and of sufficient magni-
tude to be seen from the earth, are now
in operation, and will doubtless open
up line of research by which we may
learn something Of the nature of the
forces at work within the moon, and
form more accurate notions of our satel-
lite than those to which we have been
treated of late years, such as a burnt
up cinder," dead world" or one re-
duced to its last stage of existence. So
far as we are able to judge Of the mum
dane processes going on around us,
there is q perpetual cycle Of recurring
physical events by which decay is re-
placed by renovation. We have, on