The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-12-18
NEW THINGS In THE MOON
Photography Reveals Unknown
Objects on the Planet.
Interesting Discoveries Made by AstFon-
omers Through the Use of the
TeIescopc-Iuna Craters
and ClIasms.

IelcsCpiSc-iuhssr tT:iterS
and CIIasnis.
Astronomical photography has ac-
complished many wonderful results,
but nothing perhaps more surprising
than its discoveries upon the moon, says
the New York sun. The moon is so
near by and has been so carefully
studied with the most powerful tele-
scopes for hundreds of years that the
astronomers had come to think that
they knew pretty much all about 1t, or
at least about that face of the moon
which is turned toward the earth But
it turns out that photography possesses
the power TO reveal things upon the
moon which cannot be seen by the eye
even with the aid of the best Of tele-
scopes. 4 careful study of the mega
tives of the moon made with the aid OF
the great Lick telescope has revealed
the existence of many unknown objects
there, including great crater mountains
and riffs or chasms III the surface OF the
moon. as well as some of those myste-
rious objects which go under the de
scriptive name of bright streaks or rays.
Near the great crater which we call
Copcruicus another crater of nearly
negatives, although it is absent from
the most elaborate maps of the moon,
and cannot be seen even with the LICK
telescope, except when the magic eye
of the camera, instead Il the human
retina- is applied TO look for 1t. When
it is considered that this mysterious
crater represents the remains of
mountain ring more than fifty miles IN
diameter il appears exceedingly strange
that it should escape detection by the
telescope when directed to the moon,
and vet be visible upon a photograph Of
the moon The reason appears 10 be
that the walls of this newly discovered
crater were long ago destroyed, being
razed by some dcnuding force nearly TO
the level Of the surrounding surface. II
is, consequently, but the remnant of
great crater ring. Even in that condi-
ton. however il would be visible 10 the
eye but for the fact that its huge neigh
Dor, COpcrniCus, whose walls are still
standing to great height, is surrounded
by enormous masses of luminous ma
terial, which looks like lava, that must
have overhowed the surrounding coun-
try ages ago. and reflects back the light
of the sun to our eyes with Overpowering
briliancy. The glare of this broad re-
flecting surface. covering hundreds of
square miles, is so great as to conceal
the comparatively low relief of the
broken crater ring.
IN fact. it is not improbable that
Copernicus is responsible for the disap-
pcarance of the other great crater,
which doubtless was the predecessor of
CopernicuS. and once lowered up to an
equal height above the surrounding
plains. After it had ceased 10 be an
active volcano, and Copernicus had
burst forth, the latter probably over
whelmcd il with torrents of lava, which,
filing MP the space within us broken
walls nearly to the level of their tops,
submerged il, so to speak. beneath the
new surface thus formed. SO that only
the summit of its broken walls remains
to be caught by the acute vision Of the
Photographic plate.
In other parts OF the moon similar
e7ents appear to have taken place, and
there are q number of large cratcrs,
enormously greater than any volcanic
cratcra upon the earth, which seem TO
have been buried by the outburst OF
lava from Observation-Disclosures vol
canoes in their neigh hborhood, 50 that
only portions of their mountain walls
now remain visible.
Another discovery, also arisin" from
inspection of the negatives made with
the Lick telescope. relates TO the won
derful system of. bright rays surround
ing the most perfect crater in the moon,
Tycho. This extinct volcano is some
fifty-four miles in diameter, and Is sur
rounded on the outer side Of its lofty
walls by u comparatively level region.
some twenty-five miles broad. OF =, much
darker hue than that of the crater it.
self, or of the surrounding country be-
yond. The hundreds of great strealzs
which radiate from Tycho like the
spol1es of n wheel, varying in width
from ten to twenty or thirty miles. and
in length from few miles 10 nearly
two thousand miles, having al
ways appeared, when viewed with a
,elescope alone, to take their rise from
he outer edge of the dark rim sur
'ouuding the crater, but the Lick mega
ives show that some of the streaizs at
east pass through this dark rim and
sxtend clear mp 10 the very walls of the
,rater. The suggestion that these mys-
.erious strealis had their origin in the
'olcanic energy OF Tycho when it was
till an active crater is strengthened by
his evidence that the Strealls actually
each to the crater itself
These discoveries are likely TO give
'enewed interest TO the study of the
Moons surface, and while IL is perhaps
% much to expect that a great deal OF
light viii be thrown by astronomical
photography upon the question whether
svidences OF the present or former eX-
stencc of life upon the moon can be de-
.ected from the earth, yet there can be
10 question that new method of at
.aclling the many problems that still re-
main to be solved concerning the char
acter and condition of our satellite has
been placed within the reach of astron-
omers.