The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-20
MYSTERIES OF THE MOON
THINGS NOT GENERALLY KNOWN
ABOUT LUNA.

ABOUT LUNA.
Prof Ashmore's Lecture on the Peculi-
arities of the Earth's Next Door
Neighbor-The Time 1t Would Take a
Savannah Street Car to Make Trip
to Luna-The Moon and the Tides.
The Fallacy About the Moon Affect
ing the Weather Explained.
Prof. Ashnore delivered the second Of his
series Of astronomical lectures last night at
Trinity church. The lecture room was
crowded and the audience was repaid by
thoroughly interesting and instructive
lecture.
Prof. Ashmore's subject was the moon.
and he told good many things about Luna
that people do not generallyknow.
Although the moon is one of the smallest
of the heavenly bodies, Prof. Ashmore re-
marked that IT appears larger than the
Others on account Of its proximity to the
earth. Its mean distance is about 100000
miles, with variation of 26, 600 miles, due
TO elliptical character Of it's orbit. 1t would
require an express train one year to make
the trip, while an ordinary Savannah street
car would be six years on the journey.
The moon was shown to be 2. 100 miles in
dAhhCb6E, duu tnhb 10 hOulu IT,
quire forty-nine moons to make
body as large as tine
| earth. Its whole area is equal to four
or five times that OF the United StateS. II
revolves around the earth once in 2916 days
aud always keeps the same side toward it.
so that If there were any inhabitants on
the other side of the lunsr orb they could
never see the earth without a long journey.
The moons orbit is inclined about five
degrees to the. ecliptic which, with other
reasons, enables one to see something more
than half its surface at different times. Its
light is only l-600.000th OF
that of the sun, aud the heat Ia the NOON
shine on the earth is not more than 1~5. 00Oth
| OF degree, or about equal to the heat Of a
candle at the distance OF twenty feet
LIKE WATERMELON.
A curious fact not generally known was
explained concerning the shape of the moon
and its center Of gravity. 1t was shown
that the moon is not exactly spherical but
slightly elongated. somewhat like a water
melon, with the long diameter always di-
| rected toward the earth. Its center of
| gravity is thirty-three miles from the CEN
| ter Of the mass. The moon, therefore, has
a heavy and a light side, the latter turned
| always toward the earth.
Prof. Ashmore showed by conclusive
| proof that the moon has no atmosphere
and as a consequence no animal or vegetable
4 Llle, no no Wbk6T, no eVlu6QCS WQaE-
| ever of organic life. II it had at one time
| in its past cosmical history any or all Of
| these elements, which is not unlikely, they
have mysteriously disappeared. 1t Is sup
| posed that the moons interior fires having
| cooled off, the atmosphere and water were
| long ago absorbed into its porous mass,
| leaving their satellite a fossil world as a
| significant prototype OF our own earth's
| final fate.
The moon has but one day of two weeks
| long and a night Of similar length for every
revolution. There is no twilight in the
moon, no gorgeous sunsets, but black dark
nese succeeds the dazzling light, and torrid
heat follows cherries night Of intense
cold,
VIEWS OF LUNA.
Several fine Photographic views of the
moon in its various phases were thrown
| upon the screen, and the principal points of
| interest on the moons surface were ex-
| planned. These were followed by series of
| splendid Photographic views OF the moons
surface as seen through the largest tele-
! scopes.
This feature Of the exhibition was espe-
cially fine, showing as it did with startling
| dstinctness the lofty mountain peaks and
| extinct volcanoes, rising from three to five
| miles above a surface upheaval and sent in
every direction by some gigantic force in its
| past history.
The supposed influences Of the moon upon
the weather aud other lunar superstitions
came in for their full share of sharp criti-
| cism. 1t was shown that the concurrent
| testimony of all scientific observations, ex-
tending over a period of $50 years, proved
| that the moon has no appreciable influence
| upon the weather.
THE MOON AND THE TIDES.
| Prof. Ashmore explained the tides and
| illustrated them by movable diagrams
| which made their cause plain TO the audience.
| The hight of the tide at any place was
| shown to depend upon the relative position
| of the sun and moon, and the distance of the
| latter from The earth, upon the declination
of the moon and sun, the peculiar config-
| uratton Of the coast, etc. A curious effect
| OF the tides that is not generally known
was stated, and that is that the tides are
| gradually but very slowly lengthening the
days. The rotation of the earth on its exis
| is slightly retarded by the force Of the tidal
wave daily dashing against the western
shores Of the continents
The lunar and solar eclipses were dis
| cussed, and their causes were fully ex-
| planned by revolving mechanical views,
! giving vivid illustrations of these curious
| phenomena
| The attendant phenomena Of solar eclpses
| were strlkingly presented by a number Of
beautiful Photographic views. A total
| eclipse Of the sun is an exceedingly rare oc-
currence at given place, one not having
! been visible at London in more than TOO
years.
THE BIG ECLIPSE IN 1900.
May Is, in the year 1900, grand total
eclipse of the sun will sweep across the
| southern states from New Orleans to Nor
folk, and will envelop the whole south in
| its gloomy shadow Thoaa who NAV 10