The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-22
LUNA TO HIDE HER FACE.
HALF OF THE MOON To BE
ECLIPsED TONIGHT.

O'ClOck-Star-Gazers VIII Have
"a Splendid Opportunity II the sky
Is Clear
People who remain up a little later than
usual tonight will be compensated by
observing beautiful eclipse OF the moon
few minutes after midnight. While the
eclipse will not be a total one, the moon
Will be a little more than half obscured,
and being high in the heavens at the time.
the phenomenon may be observed with
great satisfaction If the skies be clear.
The times OF the various phases are
calculated specially for Savannah in 18th
meridian or city time, as follows:
H. N. S.
Eclipse begins ..............l2 a 30 a. m.
Middle OF eclipse ............1 81 80 a. m
ECLIPSE ends .........--....... 80 "a a.. m.
The first contact will occur on the east
ern limb Of the moon, I0l degrees from
Its north point, and the last contact on
the western limb, 153 degrees from its
north point The magnitude of the eclipse
will be Obs. the moons diameter being /.
1t is well known that a lunar eclipse
Is caused by the passage of the moon
through the earth's shadow. The moon
Is dark, non-luminous body, and shines
by the reflected light OF the sun. and in
It's journey around the sun it sometimes
plunges in the dark shadow Of the earth,
thus becoming totally or partially OBJ
scured from view.
If we hold up an orange or a ball in
the sunshine long, tapering shadow
Will extend out into space, but IL will
be invisible unless it falls upon some IL
Illuminated body. In like manner the earth
casts long shadow out into space oppo-
site the sun, and to a distance about
three times that of the moon from US.
The diameter Of this tapering shadow al
the moons distance is about three
times the diameter OF the moon,
so that if the moons course lies centrally
through this shadow 1t becomes entirely
obscured, or, as We say. totally eclipsed.
But on account Of the inclination of the
moons orbit TO the ecliptic. the moon
sometimes as In the case tonight, passes
only through the edge of the shadow,
producing a partial eclipse
An eclipse Of the moon always hap
pens at full moon, and at no other time,
while an eclipse OF the sun always occurs
at new moon.
Before the real causes Of eclipses were
understood these phenomena were re-
garded with much superstitious dread,
and their recurrence is strangely inter
woven in the history OF the worlds re-
ligions. Columbus once took advantage
Of an eclipse to frighten the ignorant
Indians into supplying him with food.
More than 1900 years before Christ the
Chinese royal astronomers were required
to predict the eclipses for their national
religious festivals, and on one occasion
we read that Hi and Ho, two Of these
astronomers. were put to death because
they failed to predict an eclipse of the
sun. Many Of the church festivals of to-
day, such as Easter, Good Friday, etc,
are regulated by the moon, and the as
tronomer now, as in ancient times, must
calculate all these dates for the various
churches.
The moon is 2160 miles in diameter, and
its average distance from the earth is
about 240 900 miles. AS it rotates upon It's
axis once for every revolution around the
earth, it keeps the same side always to-
ward us, so that we never see one side
Of the moon. The surface of the moon Is
extremely rough and mountainous, with
abundant evidences of former volcanic
activity. Huge craters and mountain
ranges abound on every hand, and some
of the peaks rise to an elevation Of more
than five miles. An opera glass will re-
veal much upon the moon which cannot
be seen by the naked eye. The bright
portions are elevations, while the dark
areas are supposed to be the bottoms Of
dried up seas and lakes One of these DARK
spots on the northwestern side Of the
moon, and known as Mare Crisium, is
almost exactly the same size as the state
of Georgia. 1t appears rather small, bIt
it will serve as a comparative guide in
estimating areas on the moons surface
The moon has no water, air or clouds
and hence no animal or vegetable life
and no fire or sound 1t is believed that
the moon once possessed all these, but
as it gradually cooled off the water ana
atmosphere were gradually absorbed into
its porous mass, leaving it as it Is,
fossil world and a fit prototype of our
own, for so far as science reveals this
same process Of radiation and absorption
is going on in our earth, and a time will
come when this old earth like the moon
will became a cosmic wreck, without life
air, water or fire.
According to the nebular theory, the
moon is composed of the same materials
as the earth-indeed, its matter was once
mingled with that of the earth For two
weeks at time the sun shines down upon
one side of the moon with unmitigated
fury, then for two weeks more a night
Of black darkness and intense cold pre-
walls. Thus the moon is subject to great
extremes of heat and cold.
There is a very widespread belief that
the moon in some mysterious way affects
the weather, and eXerts some unaccounta-
Bile control upon the processes of animal
and vegetable life. Many impartial scien-
tihc Investigations of these matters have
been made by observations covering many
years. and the conclusions do not Justify
the belief. The writer has studied the
subject with great care for many years
and the conclusions reached agree with all
other scientific Investigations of the sub
ject, that the moon does not to any APP
probable extent exert any influence upon
the weather
People are fond of traditions. and are
loath to give them up. Condolences are
noticed and disturbances are overlooked.
and the conclusions drawn from such
data are bound to be erroneous. Let
any one make honest. impartial observ-
attons on the moon and the weather for
many years, permitting no pet theory to
influence his records or conclusions, and
he will find that his theory of the moon
and the weather will be demolished
While we watch the dark shadow of the
earth upon the moon tonight we may re-
member that its curved shape is a proof
Of the earth's rotundity, and though il
seems to encroach upon the bright portion
Of the moon very slowly, 1t is in reality
moving at rate of about 1900 miles per
hour, or rather we should say that the
moon is moving at this rate into the
shadow, for this IS really the case.