The sun., 1882-08-06
Ay EXCURSION IN TILE NOON
Tho wonderful ThinRs Seen by n Reporter
aud nm Astronomer.

Tho moon, only n few days old, was shining
In q serene and coudlcss sky. out OF which tho
ast rays OF sunlight had not quite oil vanished
when a reporter entered the observatory OF n
Brooklyn astronomer and found the man OF
stars with his oye at the telescope. which was
turned upon the moon. The polished brass
tube shono in the moonlight. but tho form OF
the astronomer was barely distingushable as
he sat In tho shadow OF the equatorial. From
the little aperture in the syo piece, not much
larger than u pin hole. pencil Of golden light
was streaming into his eye. which was thus
brilliantly Illuminated while his face was In
shadow producing weird and striking effect
Come in, said the astronomer. recognizing
the reporter. I'm looking for that cloud that
the Delaware astronomer Mr.. jackson. says he
has discovered in tho moon. flying over the
Mare C,ishin,."
Well, what luck2" tho reporter asked.
None at ALL" replied the astronomer; but
! am not much disappointed. 1t seems That
Mr.. jackson is only able to catch sight OF the
bo-called cloud under particular illumination
lnd tho moon is little too old now for that
However II there really was cloud there-a
rain cloud as one report called tit ought to
be visible under various angles Of iumina-
ton. think that what Mr.. Jackson saw WIS.,
something much closer to tho surface OF the
moon than our clouds are to the earth's surface
We might think that he had been altogether de-
eeiyed but for two or three significant facts
In the first place. Mr. jackson is said TO be an
old and experienced observer who has made
tho moon q special object Of study Tor years.
secondly he has seen the appearance twice. at
an interval | believe. OF two months: and
lastly the region in which he saw it, tho Mare
Ctish,p. or Sea Of Crises. as the old astrono-
mers named it, is famous for having been the
scene of Just such mysterious appearances be-
fore when have led to very keon debates be-
tween those who believe that tho moon is an
airless waterless. and lifeless desert. and those
who think that 1t is not yet dead world by
any means. Mr.. Jacksons reported discovery.
- and the observations made by the French as
tronomers in Egypt during the solar eclipse in
May which showed the existence of an atmos-
phere in the moon. revive the old question
whether the moon Is living or dead. or late
years the supporters of tho theory OF the mori-
bund condition OF our satellite have had the
field pretty nearly oil to themselves and almost
everybody had become resigned TO the conclu-
sion that tho companion orb of the earth in It's
tremendous flight through space is the mere
corpse Of a world, a skeleton OF rock which. as
1t circles about the earth. forever keeps one
staring and unchanging face fixed upon this
abode Of the living. But these recent observa-
tions have put those who think the moon still
shows some signs of life into better counte-
nance again. and so the question is likely to be
gone all over once more. with. probably. some
very interesting results"
What do you think it was that Mr.. jackson
saw 2" the reporter asked.
1T may have been hoar frost"
That is singular" said the reporter.
But by no means impossible. added the as
tronomer Reasons have been shown by Mat
thieu Williams. in that startling book The
Fuel Of the SUM- why the face of the moon may
he covered during its long night with deposit
of frost. which would be likely to be very heavy
in the deeply sunken basin OF the Sea OF Crises
Or 1t may have been cloud Of ice crystals sim
liar to our cirrus clouds which are tho delicate.
wispy. curling. light clouds that you ofton SEQ
high in the heavens on Il fine summer day. But
il So it must have been very much nearer the
ground than our cirr for If tho moon has an
atmosphere, and confess incline to think it
has. II is probably SO rare thnt to our senses 1t
would seem almost a vacuum
Do you think thero arc living beings in the
moon 2" asked tho reporter.
We'll" replied the astronomer, II would be
astronomicaly unorthodox to show any hesi-
tation in answering no: and yet the fact is no
body knows. There appear to be ov"rwhelm-
ing reasons for saying that it would be utterly
impossible for beings In any way resembling
ourselves to live there; but all that we know OF
creation is 40 full Of evidences Of the wonder
fu! adoption Of the forms Of life to its surround
ings that am not prepared 10 say that life, in
some form unknown 10 US, may not flourish
lhere. Some OF these very mysterious appear
anccs around the Crisian Sea. and in other
spots in the moon, have been accounted for on
the supposition that some kind Of yege tatioi
may grow there. which, as it alternately -four
ishes and decays. may give rise to the changes
that the telescope detects. A. any rate il the
moon is now destitute Of life. the time has been
belieye. when its surface teomcd with inhab
ltants and 1t is u singularly interesting diver
sion to try to trace out with the telescope
amid its rugged and highly romantic scenery
the haunts Of the long extinct races Of the
moon. Now that these recent observation
have attracted renewed attention 10 our satel
lite perhaps you would find ii an interesting
as well as novel experience TO make an cScur
sion in the moon.'
Tho reporter thanked him and said that sucl
an excursion was Just what he would like.
Very WE'LL then" said the astronomer
IAN that you will have 10 do is to keep YOU
eye at tho ocular, and will cndeavor to act ~
guide, pointing out the objects OF special in
terest, and. by means Of tnie screw, furnishing
the seven league boots by which you will b
transported across mountain ranges. borne
safoly over Old sea bottoms. and enabled t
look without any quams straight down into tn
throats of bottomloss extinct craters.'
Tho astronomer first put low-powor eye
piece on the telescope and the reporter locke
into it. At first he was dl2>led by the food O
light from the powerful obiect-glnss. In
minute his eye became accustomed to tn
glare. and then wonderful sight met his view
The crescent moon looking fifty times longe
and broader that 1t does TO the naked eye
resembled an enormous, doub!e-tippod. golde
horn, chased and ornumented with rings. ha
circles. lines and zg-2ags Of dazzling white
and smoothod here and there into broad oval
OF O darker hue. The inner border Of TN
crescent had an irregular, saw-like edg
where it crossed tho mountains. and the lonI
narrow spires Of shadow cast by tho highc
peaks looked az Ii painted upon the light bach
ground of the neiShborinS plains. The astronC
NOR pointed out the Sen Of Crises, an obloni
dark valley or depression, clOTe to the wcstcr
edge. It's broad eXpanse shut in on all sid