The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-04-16

pa'atively perfect, and no more pleas
lunar picture can be beheld than
when the shadows OF these mountain
PEAKS lie stretched along the dark CEN
La! ho0T, as they do when the sun Is in
s9ta position that II would just ap-
i'@Sf 70 De rising to lunar inhabi;ant
"a' VAS stationed in the neighborhood
fa'" LUNAR MEASUREMENTS
ARE TAKEN.
may mention that the shadows ~
-"tsi mountain peaks not only greatly
INT nee the beauty of our lunar pic
- 4rrm spectacular point of view.
~ 'hey have another importanca
NJ! present to the astronomer the
v4-! means which he possesses for
MT of4ng the attitudes OF the lunar
''-,-'-i "a'ns. FOR, as a lunar mountain
,noiF ~ less pointed towords the OBJ
oe Ne'' us elevation above the surfs ce
iuents hieasute'
may illustrate the process en-
~ 'h .he determination of the alti-
49,, lunar mountain by the opera
circulating the height of n flag
,I,s.,s IN hhu"lng the length OF the
lsn,s,h ""tch IL casts at noon. II the
rare. 80 W maj shadow be measured on
w,,t winch Will, of course, vary
80 tHe latitude of the observer than
me length OF the noou-tide sbaanv. -
ne iiaGalan would not be different fron,
'ne he!gh; OF the hagstarf itself II thn
80 " IONS pt made on any other DAYS
H"Ne NOSE which have lust hsan w.,
- 'hch me length of the noon-tide
.,i"uvW would be greater or less than
INV 'i t.,'e OF the flagstaff However.
rbo - ~ ejaculation, which any one
- mas iraFned mathematics can easily
Understand, it Is possJbIa 60, ' Easily
.nk me length OF The SHADOW and ~
"e attitude OF the sun at noon an tho
-ss III question. 10 determine tho haI,ht
VI 'nt hdsstan by which that shaaow,
mas been cast '"uo"
shadr. Ca measure the lengths OF the
,at.' which are cast by the noun
Smm,ne' vi Tue surface of the moon.
49, instance. the shadow
- Vps'iFeu 10 extend half way
across the tloor of Plato. in such ca 60
we Know that the length Of ths eho5n,,.
wouiu De about thirty miles Eror n,'r
h'o"leuse oil the relative positions -
the earth ana the moon. we can da,o,
NINE me height Of the sun as II wnni,,
nae TSse appeared 20 a lunar Observer
"a. suHlce To enable us to- ascer-
peaks. iieSpohu!hS
The isthmus on which Plato is stir,
ated contains many other interas,i,a,,
opJects. In iact, the student could ha,,T
no better study than to famil.arize him
sen WIN the characteristics of the SOW,
Tal objects In and about the Mar. ~,
Drum. Beginning at the morris,
p point we hrst come to the very ramarkl
ME ME pay known as the Sinus Iridium
men comes Plato, and then the srif
sweeps round by noble range Of NOM
.ains called the Caucasus. betwsnn
, Mn,eh "a ana the range OF the Apprentices
tnere is passage which leads ~, -, =
Mare Serenitatis. mo 'he
At this point the observer will NOT fan
10 notice three splendid rings wing a.,
In the Mare Imbrlum. The sm,iie., ou y.
,nese Is Autolycus; directly below that
IS me larger ring, known as Arist,Ilms
Which Is ,hirty-four miles in diametaT
It's rampant rises upward OF two miles
above The surrounding plain. while the
interior Oh II Is depressed some 3 o0o
ieet below the level of the general In.
mar surface. Arisrillus may be regard
Ell as typical lunar crater, inasmuch
as II Is adorned by lofty molIntain
peak ascending from the centre A
view OF multitudes of details N this