The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1879-01-30
The Lunar Atmosphere.

Assuming that the moon was ever
clothed with an atmosphere, and partial
ly covered by oceans, we could form but
one opinion as to the way III which
the oceans, at any rate. have been caused
to disappear. We should be compelled
to believe that the water had been with
drawn into the moons interior as the
moon cooled The disappearance of the
atmosphere could hardly be explained in
the same way, however. For 1t must be
remembered that a .urar atmosphere re
sembling our own in density, a. the
former lunar sea level, or even IN et-
mosphere of one teDto or one-hundredth
the density of ours, would extend much
further above the moons surfuce than
our atmosphere extends above the sur
face Of the earth A. height of only
81 miles our atmosphere is only half as
dense AS at the sea-level. at seven miles
one-fourth, at fourteen miles one-six
teenth, at % miles l-256th, at AZ miles
l-4,O96th. But whatever the density of
the lunar atmosphere at the surface of the
moon, it would only he reduced to one
half at a height of 90 miles, to one
fourth at a height Of A miles. SO that,
if at the surface it's density were only
l-l,0O0th that Of the air we breathe,
the density at a height of A. miles
would be somewhat greater than the
density of own air ~ miles above the
sealevel and at all greater heights the
density Of the lunar air would be enor-
mousy greater thar that of our own air
at corresponding heights Indeed, 1T ia
worthy of notice that, even assuming the
lunar air rs rare as 1t Is commonly sup
posed, tho density at greatheightisgreat
or than that of our own air ut the same
height) Seeing, then, that the lunar
air Is SO much less closely packed, so to
speak. by the action OF gravity than our
own, we cannot suppose that an atnos-
phere at all resembling ours in density
had been withdrawn INTO the moons in
terror On the other hand, it Is difficult
to believe that such an atmosphere has en-
tered into the chemical combination with
the various substances forming the
moons crust, and has thus disappeared
as an atmospheric envelope. On the
whole. il seems to ne that the balance
of probability is strongly against the
former existence of lunar atmosphere
resembling our OWL ii density. If this
be assumed, then we should no longer
have to account for the effects Of what
biologists call suh-aerial denudation
upon the moon. Tho moons surface
would show only the effects of past
forms Of vulcanian activity. It must
be admitted, [ thnk, 10y all who have
over studied the moon with the tele
scope that the aspect OF the lunar noun
tains, craters, plains, etc, a,cords better
with this view than with the other. It
is almost impossible TO believe chat the
earth will ever pres mt a scene at al, re-
sembling that nov presented by the
moon. simply because 1ve sec that even
if the waters of the sea we're withdrawn
from the earth, and all forms of life, AZ,
imal and vegetable disappeared. the eff
fects of the long ages when the earth
had air aud ;-,r-c- would remeiu, and
w6t,ld perceptibly modify the earth's
aspect There is very little on the
moons surface rs at present seen, winch
can possibly be attributed to such a
cause. Thus the probability Is increased
that enc moon never had al atmosphere
of considerable DENSITY, even if she over
had widely extended oceans -Lockyer,
in Contemporary Review