The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-12

piayed on a Grand scale BIZ Oopernicus. I ell
Jude 70 the presence o. bright rsdiatinF stresks
S Sh1SSh ss' 81 miles brS% over spe Ike lunar surface. The
explanation OF these bright streaks offers one
q the most diflcplt pr9 9SnnnSt in :, lunar ghyslSs;
flows from the central spot at some earlier
phase Of eruption than The crater az Il now
eeem apparent why these streeks should in
this case possess the peculiar brightness which
Near The southern pole Of the moon is the
remarkable. crater known as Tycho. This
s Is situated ,Ss IN hi,s z .eR nma T most m nns SIiGGnsTy m don.
numSc. o5il bright streaks which radIate from
these streais are peculiarly visible, they have
frequently been likened TO merldiens divcrgina
streakss we're due to cracks IN the, moon, and
that through these cracks lava had welled
9 sSn,, from be me hh;.cb me S,yoe po = fbsT1iIk,ns 81 h tSs.
been observed to crack in such 9 way as to pro.
those seen 70 divergo from Tycho on the moon.
~ Is known that great volcahic outbreaks
nowned. discharGe. which took place at Kra.
katoa In 1883. have been attended. with the
dust, or comminuteI puimice. which was Of a
light Rrayish color. It may. as Mr.. Elger sug.
gosts, perhaps have happened that volumes OF
volcanic, dust hove issued from the assures
thS srSeAi%s snSSSst;ed y SSsmyiS: hi:
nu'b Wouiu hSCuulilhut hlOHk tho .hnoo "a
%fssure; for 1; must be remembered that, as
there is no air on the moon, there would be no
wind 10 blow the dust away, as there would be
on the earth. There, consequently, the dust
would remain, and Its characteristic wilderness
would present just the same appearance that
the streaks now seem to nave. This view seems
TO present the most reasonable explanation at
present available as to the origin of these ro.
markable lunar characteristics.
One moro striking feature in the scenery of
our ~satellite should be referred to. i mean the
deep but narrow clefts or chasms which ex.
tend for hundreds and often for thousands OF
miles across the lunar surface. These chasms
seem In all probability TO owe their origin to
earthquake shocks. by which tho moon was
shaken In the days when It's volcanoes were. still
active. Those days SEEM. however, to have
long since passed. The volcanoes on the moon
no longer give any manifestation OF energy.
They are all extinct and silent; for though one
or two cases have been recorded In which ap-
parent changes have been thought TO have
taken place. yet, even II we admit the reality
of suoh changes, they are but insignificant.
The fact ia that the moon appears to have
lost It's volcanic energy. This Is doubtless due
to the circumstance that our satellite, being q
small globe. relatively to the earth, has al
ready cooled down to such a point that there Is
no longer sufficient internal energy left TO pro-
duce II volcanic outbreak. The earth Is so
much larger that IL still retains large quanti-
ties Of internal heat, which manifests itself
occasionally In the eruption of volcanoes. The
difference between the earth and the moon In
THE respect may BIO expressed in this way;
That while we have many extinct, volcanoes
on the earth. and comparatively few active
ones, yet on our neighboring globe all the vol
seem to have passed into the extinct