The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-02-02
DAWN ON THE MOON.
THE LUNAR WONDERS REVEALED BY THE
ADVANCING SUNLIGHT.

Rochester Express.
A Rochester journ 8list who visised Prof.
Swift the other evening and mad q view, OF
the moon, says: "The telescope with a
power of thirty six diameters, was turned
upon the moon. AT first the flood of light
was binding, and the view was but curse
ry. The moon looked like q shield of en-
bossed silver-the shield of fAchilles-hung
by his goddess mother in the azure of the
heavens. Professor s wifi looked over the
field, and noted as he looked many of the
interesting points, and suggested that we
follow the annrise on the moon. On the
moon the dawn advanced at the rate of ten
miles an hour, lighting up new fields and
furnishing to him an ever changing pauo-
rama. Still, there is naught but desolation,
yawnipg craters and sharp peaks of vol
canic mountains and circular walls with
perpendicular sides that surround deep
pits. The moon is dead, to all appearance
burned out with volcanic fires. No wa
ter laves the deeolate and rugged shores of
it's great sea bottoms. But in tue gray
plains, where come astronomers think an
ocean once spread, craters are seen with
perpendicular walls.
The gray plains can be seen with the
naked eye, forming what is called "the AN
in the moon" or map like the Eastern
continent. Under the telescope we could
trace what seemed at first TO be shore lines
on the border of this plain. On closer
inspection, instead of wave washed sand
these lines appeared to be but round ed
steps formed by successive lava bursts
spreading over the plain aud making, by
the lessening flow, the gradual exhaustion
of the volcanic force. From one of the
large st craters rise three volcanic cones,
the SUBMITS of which are tipped with sun.
light before the floor CT the crater is light
cd. Ia another large crater two cones
arise. From tho larger craters rays spread
hon, AMI nh y
the firm crust in its upheava', injecting
through the broken surface ridges of daE.
zliDg white lava, that spread out like the
arms of cutie fab covering % vast surface.
The gIandest phenomena are to be OBJ
served by following the sun on the moon.
The advancing dawn forms n ragged cres-
cent line upon the surface still in darkness.
The suns rays pass over dark chasms aud
low fields, lighting up mountain tops far in
advance. They appear like little islands
oflight lying off the coast of an illuminat
ed sea. High mountains and crater walls
near the shore of light cast deep shadows.
The circular rims of cratere are illuminated
upon cushion of dsrkness. The advanc-
ing dawn now lights up the bases of the
outlying mountains that but moment ago
showed but speck of light, and still new
mountain tops are tipped with silver far in
advance.
The sunlight strikes upon the side of
circular wall of a crater, and there is sil-
yer crescent, with black space between
it and the sea of light. Slowly the sum
mits of other portions of the circulsrswall
are lighted up, and then the sunlight in
vades the depths of the crater, while the
shadow of the wall nearest the sun stretch
es half across the floor of the chasm. Fre-
quentiy great gaps are broken in the era
ter walls, and streaks of light stream across
the floor. The jagged rocke, in calm, cold
beauty, shine and glitter in the fierce white
light. The mountains are mountains of
desolatiou, and the valleys are valleys of
silence and death. They are wrinkled with
the flow of lava and torn with upheavals.
The moon is dead. No air, no sea, no for
est shade, or living thing. The moon is a
never failing source of delight. 1t is also
awful in it's suggestions of power and in it's
loneliness of utter desolation.