The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-06

discovery OF Mexican astronomer that
the moon is not a satellite. hut a planet.
This probably means thai he assumes
from certain Indications OF calculations
that the moon vas formerly a par; OF ;he
zun and not part Of the earth. When
the ncbulogs body which forms the earth
was flung OF from the suns vaporous
envelope, it may have thrown off also a
smaller stream which at TIE same time
began TO form the moon, bat Il course
Of time, by tn. attraction of grayitat.oa,
LETT its direct course around the sun in
company with the larger planets and WIS
drawn Within the circle OF the ear,h's
radius OF Influence. III order 70 accept
this as the correct theory o. the moons
creation, some cherished theories must
be considerably modified. In any event
the matter, while Of interest. is only os
secondary Importance
From Mercury 10 Neptune. the largest
planet to The smallest asteroid. ali orig
inally formed a part Of the sun. and
whether the moon shot OF directly from
;he surface or was first n part OF the
nsbuiosity which formed the earth, ard
subsequently became detached from it, is
II comparatively little consequence. There
are some other things connected with
the moon which are of great interest to
us. We would like 10 know whether thou
sands Of years ago the moon royolved
more rapidly on its axis and presented
q To
70 know whether, when it had arrived at
that stage in It's history in which it re-
scmbled the present condition Of the
earth, and before 1t died. it was inhabit-
ed by people like ourselves. II was 4
world. probably. with atmosphere, water,
wind, clouds and vegetation, such as this
earth now has when the earth itself WAS
still seething mass. and still so hot as
Ia afford some degree of heat 10 the small
planet which either kept II company on
its Journey around the sun In a parallel
line, or kept 1t company while In turn
1t whirled around this globe.
There is no object in the heavens which
presents greater prooa bilities of having
been inhabited than the small ball which
has apparently lost all purpose. except
to afford a reflected light 10 the people
on it's larger companion.
OF course il is not certain that the con-
dltions there were entirely the same as
here. In the days OF less perfect observa-
ton the surface Of the moon was divided
into lands and seas. What was once
called seas however. are now known 70
be absolutely devoid Of water. Sir Rob
ert Ball. one Of the most careful of mod
ern astronomers. admits that the water
/ theory is the simplest superstition so far
as certain phenomena are concerned. but
he does not quite assent 10 IT, II Is easy
20 believe that those dark spots equal In
area 20 thousands Of miles are the basins
IN which great seas once rolled. but as
the moon had gradually cooled down
from pFlmcvd state ia which it was
largely composed II molten matter. tho
water from the seas penetrated Into the
interior and there entered into chemical
union with the materials which were
crystalzins
II q great chasm should be Opened on
the surface OF the earth ~ IFS core Il
would not be- long before the ocean vas
tarued into steam. Such a catastrophe
may have happened in TIE mon II II
we're not s. there Is some ajmcnity in
/ explaining WA. became % tbe water
I for with enc cooling oS the surface the
water would So left ~ he action 4 the
! sun ar' ,ke uAeaoraena e clouds. -