Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-05-07

continent. It's distance froIE US is 1885,
SIS miles. or less than six tunes the dis
lance around our earth. As It revolves
, around its axis ia the same time that
/ it travels around ourglobe, its full day
is little greater than % Of ours, or
/ in other words il has about two weeks
of sunshine followed by two weeks
of darkness !; as its days and nights.
owing TO its slight inclination to its
/ axis, are Of nearly equal length. As
it has no atmosphere the suns rays
without impediment strike its surface,
and are never prevented by cloud or
mist. Fourteen of our days with cen
slant sunshine must heat its surface
much above that of boiling water !;
this is followed by a night so long
that with no atmosphere to prevent
the radiation of heat, the lunar Their
mometer must fall as low as 2]0o be-
low zero, a degree of cold doubly more
Intense than arctic explorer ever ex-
perienced.
When the Moon is examined by a
telescope, even one of moderate power,
her surface is seen to be marked by
many Irregularities. There are the
large dark regions which were formerly
supposed to be seas, and now known
to be the mere level and earthly por-
tons of its surface, while the noun
tains and rocky regions are the bright
er portions.
Some of the dark sections are quite
level, and it is presumed that they
may be ancient sea bottoms, as we
can have little doubt but what the
Moon once had seas. 1t is the internal
heat of the earth that keeps our water
upon the surface, and if our earth was
cold through its entire mass, all our
water, and then following it our atmos-
phere, would be absorbed, and pass 10y
natural laws beneath its surface, and
then would come to us the present
condition of the Moon, which being a
smaller globe, of course has cooled more
, quickly, thus having passed by hel
habitable stage millions of years ago
But let us leave speculation and speak
of the various mountains, some in
. ranges, like our Andes and Rocky
Mountains, but Il much larger portion
: in circular ranges, or in immense
volcanic craters. Many of those
81 large craters have an isolated noun
tain in their centre as high, or higher
than Mt. Washington. These noun
t tains reflect much light to US, anC
' consequently are the brightest por
1 tons of its surface, yet while they
appear of silver whiteness, they are
S composed Of rocks as dark co1ored il
} most part as the talcose rocks o
. Lunenburgh, and some much darker
s In fact almost black, or so dark coloreC
r as to seem black. The soil of cours
] rejecting less light than the rocks
would naturally be darker, and SO i
n is. The soil there however, support
}. no vegetation, yet the Moon through
: the unchangeablela laws Gifts maker, ha
: had, and continues to have a purpose
+ and is set in the Heavens by the hant
4 of one with whom q day is as a thousant
@ years, and thousand years as day
4 yes, | might say million years as well
! for naught is too great Tor his mana L
!. mold, and mould it well 70 answe
O some great end.
But the next feature Of importanc
81 is the existence of remarkable serie
Of radiating streaks, extending froI
some of the largest craters which were
when active, doubtless the centres c
great disturbances.
1t is impossible to contemplate tn
face of the Moon as seen with a power
full telescope, without feeling that thi
G system of rays must have resulted from
&c the operation of forces of the mos
: stupendous nature, thought as We
f the true import of them may be hi
q from us. They would be marvelou
g phenomena, even if they We're no
! so mysterious. They are marvelou
C in their enormous extent, their sngu
G lar brightness, and their manner O
q traversing sea bottoms, craters, an
n mountain ranges, in continue us lines
+ They seem like veins of white quart
q upon the earth, could they be fount
thousands of miles in length, and man,
n miles wide. These lines are best re
y cognized when the moon is full, Will
! all other lunar phenomena are seel
best in the first or last quarter; as c
all the mountains we gain much of GU
! knowlege Of their size and shape from
f their shadows. These streaks are no
q much raised from the Moons surface
neither are they depressed below ii
" and it is at best very remarkable tina
! they are so long continued in straigh
p lines without any break. The mount
T aims and planes upon the surface c
y the Moon, have all been named, an,
rs well mapped as the mountains ant
! planes OF the earth. Many of the mo-:
noted are named from early astrond
unerS and I chal rafar 70 than, ~