The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-04-19
ABOUT THE MOON.
Facts Concerning Our Nearest Neighbor
in the Solar system.

| Facts Concerning Our Nearest Neighbol
| in the Solar system.
A few weeks ago an important ad.
dress was given in London by Sir Rob.
ert Ball, the Astronomer Royal of Ire
land, about the moon. In its course,
| he made known the most recent conclu.
sions of astronomers as to the moon, 5
composition. its climatic condition and
the probability Of its being inhabited.
As our nearest neighbor in the solar
system. the moon must always be an
object of peculiar interest and of ard
ent investigation to the dwellers upon
the earth. So much nearer is it than
either of the planets, that we can learn
more about it, and observe its physical
features more minutely. We know that
that the moons diameter is only one
fourth of that of our globe; that it is
only two hundred and forty thousand
miles distant from us; that, if the moon
should disappear from its orbit as our
satellite. a most important physical
change on the earth, the cessa-
ton OF tides. would take place; and
that i'll bulk, the moon is eighty times
less heavy than the earth. We can dis
cern, through powerful telescopes. the
general formation of that half of the
moons surface which is turned toward
us. We are told that there are visible
two craterS of volcanoes sixty miles
wide; another, ten thousand feet deep;
that one mighty peak rises to a height
of twenty-four thousand feet; and that
Il vast basin is visible, seventeen thou
sand feet deep, and over fifty miles
wide.
1t has long been warmly debated
question among astronomers whether
it is possible that the moon could sup
port vegetation and animal and human
life. But general agreement has now
been reached by them, that the moon
is much older than the earth; that it is
''as dead as door nail;" that it has
neither atmosphere, air or water; that.
in short, it is nothing else but a ball
Of extinct volcanic matter, lighted only
by the rays OF the distant SUM-" No
fires ever issue from the great volcanoes
which are apparent on its surface; the
huge, hollowed-out craters emit no
smoke. A vast and eternal silence
reigns through all the dreary, treeless,
lifeleSs eXpanse.
The moon, indeed, is apparently
abandoned to death, nourishing no in
habitants, producing nothing resem-
bling trees. flowers, or beautiful things of
any kind-useless, in short, except as a
mass of extinct volcanic rubbish, which
drags the sea into tides, and reflects
the sunbeams into moonlight; but
whirls, like a corpse in cerements of
silver-cloth and black velvet, round
and round the earth"
The astronomers have carefully con-
structed geography of the moon, and
have mapped out its region, and given
names to lis various features. For in
stance. they have called some of the
mountains of the moon, "Copernicus,"
'Posidonius, ''Clavius," af.er earthly
philosophers; others, they have chris
tened by the names of the famous
peaks of the earth; and the drearv val
leys and waterless bays and lakes have
received fauciful but inapposite names.
such as '.the Bays of Clouds" the
Lake of Nectar" and the Gulf of
Rainbows."
It's doubtful. according to Sir Robert
Ball, if any increase Cf the magnifying
powers of telescopes will add any fur
ther definite knowledge to that which
has already been acquired about the
moon. He believes that, when the
moon is brought by greater lenses to
within fifty Gnstead of, as now, two
hundred and fifty miles of the earth,
as it probably will be in the near
future, the result of this improved OBJ
servation will be mainly valuable as
confirming the conclusions already az
rived at. Youths Companion.