The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-28
GREEN SPOTS ON THE MOON
1Ir. Gathmann Explains why Vegetation
is Possible On That Body.

is Possible on That Body
CHICAGO, Sept 28-Before a company
of twenty-five or more friends and neigh
bors. who met at his residence last night
Loup Gathmann exhibited a model Of his
sectional lens telescope. He also ans
wered the objections made by AstrOnO-
mers Hale aud Burnham TO his an
nouncement that he had discovered what
seemed to be signs Of vegetation on the
moon. In answer to the objection that
astronomers with excellent telescopes
had never seen a green spot on the moon
Mr.. Gathmann said:
There can be but two reasons for this
fact First, no first-class telescopes were
in use for making observations the night
l saw the spot. Second, If observations
were made the telescopes were inferior
to mine"
Mr. Gathmann said his sectional lens
had been examined by Prof. Colbert,
who said it had excellent definition and
would prove of great interest to the
whole scientific world. Many eminent
engineers had pronounced the sectional
lens instrument superior to any instru-
ment of the same size.
"a twenty-inch built-up lens" Mr..
Gathmann said, with clear glasses of
any telescope that has fOrty-inch solid
lens"
lie then spoke Of his observation of a
green spot on the moon as follows:
ust u. in sweeping with my telescope
over the face of the moon. 1 saw a spot
Of vivid green in the midst of mountains
in the valley of Sinus ROris. Green IS a
color hitherto unknown to me among the
shades Of the moon. / thought there
might be an error somewhere, but after
changing the eyepiece six times it was
there as well defined space Of green,
''The idea of It being an error Of the
telescope Is out Of the question, because
when allowing the moon to pass through
the whole field of the glass the strange
every magnifying power used. Seven
persons besides myself saw it, and it is
not to be supposed that all Of US were
color blind.
'If Luna has a fora it must be far diff
ferent from ours. because the conditions
on the moon vastly different from
ours on earth. Science has not progress
ee so far as to know that atmospheric air
prevails on the moon In fact, the ele-
ments of the earth's atmosphere are not
positively known. To say that vegeta-
tioA cannot exist on such large planet
is to make an assertion which cannot be
proven.
Lunar vegetation must be very differ
ent from that of the earth. That
Luna should be without animal life l
cannot understand On earth. in the
arctic region, where the cold is intense
the year round they find the polar bear,
and the whale and other animals suited
to the climate and conditions If men
had never known Of the existence Of
these animals, and if we common men
were asked if such animals could exist
there. we would say: we do not
know
but most scientific men graduated
from our universities would simply say
no. because scientific men did not know
of their existence they would conclude
that such animals could not exist.
That there is vegetation on the moon is
highly probable, but it does not follow
that the color should be green. The
greenish tint observed August ID may
have been a rare exception"
In conclusion Mr.. Gathmann said he
believed the inhabitants Of Mars were
making signs to the earth. and he thought
communication between neighboring
planets by means Of signals would event
ually be established