The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-09-02

frigid body is a mistake. On the contrary
they declare that the earths satellite is an
intensely hot body; so hot, in fact, that life
as 1t Is known on the earth could not ex-
list there. 1.-THE moon is not so hot says
an official of the United States Naval OBJ
servatory that no creature known to us
could endure contact with her surface and
live. For instance we know that the sur
face of the moon is exposed during the long
lunar day. a fortnight of our terrestrial
time, to the rays of a sun fully as hot as
that which gives us our daily heat. With
no atmosphere to temper the action of these
rays-not by impeding their passage, but
by bearing aloft the cloud-veil which the
sun raises from our oceans to form pro-
tecting canopy for us-the surface of the
moon must necessarily become intensely hot
even before the middle of the lunar day.
1T Is true that the absence of an atmos-
phere must cause the moons heat to be
rapidly radiated away into space. 1t Is our
atmosphere which retains our heat and acts
in regulating our temperature. Thus, at the
submits of lofty mountains where the at
mosphere Is rare, Notwithstanding the in
tense heat of midday, so rapidly does this
heat pass away that snow forever crowns
the mountain heights. Yet, although the
moons heat must pass away even more
rapidly, this does not prevent the heating
of the actual surface of that satellite any
more than the rarity of the air prevents
the Alpine travellers from feeling the action
of the suns heat even when the air In
shodow is icily cold.
"Sir John Herschel long since pointed out
that the moons surface must be heated at
lunar midday-or, rather, at the time of
lunar mid-heat, corresponding to about z
O'Clock in our afternoon-to degree PROB
ably surprising the heat of boiling wa
ter.
mot alone does the moon itself possess
this extreme heat, but it reflects a certain
amount thereof upon the earth. And THIS
is not all; the moon gives out heat by
which 1t has itself been warmed Nor must
these two effects of reflected and radiated
heat be COMPOUNDED. The distinction be-
tween them may be illustrated in the fol-
lowing manner: If on bright summer day
we take piece of smooth but not too well
polished metal, and by means of 1t reflect
the suns light upon the face, a sensation
of heat will be experienced which is re-
fected sun heat; but If we wait, while stiil
holding the metal as described, until 1t has
become quite hot under the solar rays, we
feel sensation of heat from the mere
proximity of the plate to the face. even
when 1t is held so as not to reflect sun
heat There can be produced by this ex-
pertinent first, reflected heat alone, be-
fore the metal has grown hot.
Next, the heat which the metal gives out
of itself when warmed by the suns rays;
and lastly, the two kinds of heat together,
when the metal is caused to reflect sun
heat and also (being held near the face) to
give out a perceptibe quantity of its own
warmth 1t is the last stage of the expert
ment which produces the same effect as
the reflected and radiated heat of the moon
upon the earths surface.
But we must not think that the moon
adds materially to the heat of the present
weather. The actual increase. of tempera-
ture derived from the sivery orb can be
easily realized when we consider that if
the moon were exactly as hot as boiling
water we should receive from it just as
much heat as would be derived from a
small globe as hot as boiling water so
placed to preserve the same ratio Of
size and distance as the moon does to the
earth"