West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1882-11-11

| W eNN'H AAN NOuAiArlluh WHICH Nutht Cd
servsiions suggest because they have 80
lorg believed that the moon is a dead
planet and incapable of supporting any
life upen i's surface. This belief is based
principally upon the assumed absence OF r
lunar atmosphere. But these recent OBJ
serva'ions indicate that the moon has an
atmosphere, and If II has an atmosphere,
II may have various forms Of life uron
its surface differing as much from those
upon the earth az the moon Itself differs
from the earth in its geological and eli
matologicsl features. II would be very
curious IL the Telescope. the instrument
which has b2sished from the moon the
hosts of strange creatures with which the
imagination ~ some of the ancients PEG
pied il, and shown how untitled It ia for
the habitatiou of beings like ourselves and
those we see around US. should now make
us believe that the moon Is the home of
beings moe grotesque in our eyes, perhaps.
tbs any the imagination mas pictured.
We do not say this is PROBABLE. but only
that II is suggested by the very interesting
observations which have lately been made,
and which we shall briefly describe.
On the 9th of March last Mr.. Stanl
Williams, an English observer, wac looking
at the moon in the early evening with
telescope OF considerable power, and giving
particular attention 10 that very Singular
oval valley known to astronomers by the
name of Plato. This valley la about sixty
mil, broad, remarkably level, and surroun
ded by ring of mountains averaging SOM
ething less than 1000 teet high, but shoot
ing up here and there into peeks nesrly
as high as Htna. When the sunlight stri-
kes across the mountains on one size il
throws the shining peaks into splendid
relief, but all the valley within remains
shrouded in darkness. The sun was Just
rising upon this mountain ring when Mr..
Williams made his observation of Plato,
and his eye at once detected strange up
pearance. The interior Of the valley,
which usually appears totslly dark at such
times, was illuminated with faint pbos-
phOrescent light, making its level floor
dImly visible. Ii was not the effect of
IT Election from the Eliminated mountains,
bee tuse the interior of the valley was pro-
tected from such T, flection. Some passing
clouds in orr atmosphere shut out this
interesting scene from the sight OF the OBJ
server tor about an hour. When the sky
cleared again, Mr.. Williams looked once
more, and saw that the strange light had
disappeared. Mr.. Williams had made
similar observation, in the same spot, about
five years ago.
About seven weeks after Mr. Williams
observation which we have described, there
was total eclipse OF the suu, aud party
of French and Euglish astronomers went
TO Egypt to observe it, as The line Of to-
talily ran across that country. When
these astronomers turned their spectros-
copes upon the edge of the moon as it bid
the sun on the 17Ih of May they perceiy ed
indications, in the strengthening of certain
lines of The spectrum, of the existence If
an atmosphere On the moon.
But this was not all. On the 10Th of
May, two days after this eclipse, John G.
Jackson of Dslaw're, while studying the
moon, as he had been accustomed TO do
for years, with . fleeing telescope, was
surprised to see near the western edge of
the disk, and over q portion of the fiat
region known as the Sea of Crises, some
thing which ne described as feathery-
looking cloud. just two months later he
saw a similar appearance in the same place.
Aud now Mr.. l.. Il. Tr0uyelot. a we'll
known astronomer, commenting upon
Stanley Willlamss' observation. says that
he has more than once witnessed similar
appearances upon the moons disk. He
has seen lunar Landscapes lose their dis.
Iinctne,s as If thin clouds were floating
over them, and once, around the craier of
Kant, be cav what may have beeu rare
Yap'r slightly tInged with purple. lie
hiss also seen another large crater illumi-
mated with faint purple light NJ
TrOuVelot thinks these various appearances
are manifestations of a lunar atmosphere
OF a nature yet unknown.
Curious observations Of similar nature
can be found scattered here and there IN
astronomical records reaching back more
than century, but they have generally
been looked upon with distrust or totally
disregarded. These recent Observations
give them renewed interest aud tend 10
Yindicate their correctness. If 1t can be
shown that the moon has an atmosphere.
SIR william HerfcbePs idea that III satel-
lite is inhabiablg will not be deemed go
ridiculous az 10 has seemtd 10 some modern
astronomers. We should nOl expect to
obtain any confirmation Of the obseiva-
lions Of the German tclescOiist who b,
iiey,d bee had discovered a b city and
great military works 10 the moon, but rea.
sons might be SHOWN for thinking hat the
| mosn supports life peculiar TO Itself. The
mere possibility of such thing IL some
\ what startling, for The moon is really a
\ very near IeighDOr TO The earth. Few,
/ perhaps, realize how close we are % an
\ other world b silcs the earth, but il is a
/ very narrow span If space that separates
/ "a from 'he moon. The mean distance IL
/ only 10000 miles, or lcss than ten times
/ The circuit N lhe earth, aud only about
/ eighty times as far as from here Co. San
/ Ffancisco. Not few sea cspisi.s have
\ probably s1i.eI o5 i4ras che distance from
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