The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-26
COMMON ERRORS ABOUT THE MOON.
Explanation Ot Its Real Movements
susSested by Mistake in Fosburgh
From the Boston Transcript

The transcripts explosion of a moon
theory in the Fosburgh case, on its edi-
torial page of February 4, exposed an
unusual specimen of the many senseless
things continually published about that
luminary, from persons who fairly may
be called well educated. An Associated
Press dispatch of January 81 had reported
Prosecuting Attorney Gardner as saving
that "on the night OF the murder the
moon was in it's last quarter far down
the southwestern horizon when the shoot
ING occurred" That is to say the moon
IN It's last quarter was nearly setting at
ABOUT lSO in the morning!
Inc movement on the moon from new
70 Ola and its position in the sky at
! any hour OF day or night might be ex-
planned and illustrated in the schools in
single month, not over Is minutes being
devoted TO 1t each day. ending with che
request that the pupils look for the moon
tnat night, and note it's form and its
place in the sky. On cloudy nights of
course, there can be no observation.
some would take but a ianguid interest
I'D the lesson; others would be incapa Bile
or taking 1t in; but in general they would
| grow Up clear of such fooiishness as Ia
otten piufully exhibited in conversation
ond In public print Nothing need be
taught of the satellites varying distances
from the earth. it's aphelion, its peri
h.lion or it's nodes. Not an astronomical
term need be used. All one need know
Tor everyday use can be shown on a
simply physical basis and be under
! stood from what can be seen.
! All will Understand that at the hour
OF the new moon it cannot be seen, be-
cause tbs sun illuminates only it's side
| opposite from us. That it falls behind
! the sun IN it's setting, day by day-gets
fun ther to the left of it each evening,
lot MS say-until about 48 hours after the
instant OF the new moon IL is far enough
out Of the suns glare to be seen as a
thin crescent of light, on it's right edge
| l"t us call IT, and not speak of east and
west on the satellites surface, nor Of
its north or south limb. Some new moons
when first visible, have the crescent
rather on the lower edge than on the
right; but this makes no difference in
| the plan Of expiration.
Each evening as the sun sets the moon
is more to the left of it-higher in the
| sky--and the light on It's right side grows
| more and more over it's surface. About
seven days efter /. was new il is at
| the highest PORT of its arched course
through the heavens at nearly the time
| the gun sets, and the light has spread
| over half the moons face 1t rose at
!
II the sky was clear, of course-climbing
the eastern heavens, but pale. until at
| sunset It becomes lustrous II Is now at
| the completion of its first quarter. Still
day after day II is seen further eastward,
| the light extending more and more over
its face. until It is a full MOON This COM
! pIetes it's second quarter. II now rises
not far from the time the sun sets. CThis
| is not for the readers enlightenment,
1 htIt IN gfIu sfV NJ H.
struction.)
From this time the light on the moon
begins TO pass Ground to the side away
| from the earth. 1t passes over the left
| edge and shadow begins creeping upon
the right edge. where the suns light
formed crescent the first few evenings
| Of the new moon 1t is now in the third
4 quarter. This darkness on the right In
creases nightly: each rising of the moon
| is later, as II is ia all it's phases. until
1 II rises at about midnight. The left han
| Of its face--a quarter of its entire sur
| facets still bright as ever. The last
| quarter begins and the time OF r1slnS
| is not far from midnight. There should
1 be no need of reference to the almanac
10 learn that when the moon is in its
last quarter at an hour or two after mid
night as 1t is said TO have been in the
Fosburgh case It cannot arrive there
| until late IN the forenoon of the coming
day In the middle of the last quarter
II is seen mounting the eastern sky IN
the morning about four hours ahead Of
| the sun, very slender and wan. and
II sets in the middle Of the afternoon.
II now rises nearer to the time of sunrise
! each morning, the SUMS light upon IL
! shrinking closer upon its left edge. The
last that is seen OF the "old moon, II
| is rising an hour or 20 before the sun,
scarcely perceptib4e, 50 thin is its cres-
cent.
ing seen in a picture labeled "Evening"
which was seen almost everywhere Tor
many years, and Is still hanging on
| MANY home walls. It Is a darkened litho-
| graph. showing an angel floating high
/ over a town and bearing child asleep
| in its arms But the crescent OF light on
| the moons left edge shows It Is not
/ ''Ejyening," but an hour or two before
sunrise 1t is not the evening new moon.
| but the morning old moon.
| Even in Jane Eyre"--a book with not
| another blemish in details of natural
! phenomena, so far as / could ever Sec
! YOU find this same blunder about the
moon, and never have I seen noticed In
the miles OF columns and pages written
relative to that notable story during the
"a years Of its life. In her desoietion ny
! Gateshead, Jane sits alone peering into
the meaning Of the pictures I'm book OF
| plates Jane tells the reader:
IT cannot tell what sentiment haunted
the quiet, solitary churchyard, with its
| inscribed headstone. It's gate. its two
trees, Il low horizon. gdrdled by broken
wall: and rs newly risen crescent at
| testing the hour OF eventide."
| IL IL clear that II the crescent was
newly risen" It had risen not at even
| tide but before the sun, In the early
morn. II n was evening. the crescent
was within an hour or two OF setting.
A newly risen crescent never "attested
the hour OF eventide" since the creation.
Finally, the last Of the suns light has
J passed around TO the other side OF the
moon. which then IL between us and the
sun: seldom exactly between, or the sun
would be eeiipsed AZ every new NOON.
| u 10 Ia line with the sun IN bis course
around the earth. The next We see ~ n
II has fallen 20 the ieft ~ the sun fsr
enough 20 be seen IN the s0ptbeHy west
ern sky again, about sunset, the Crescent
again on its right o. partly on ~ ioNer
edge south OF The equetor aA these a.
| r.sgfa are unf the eaIUr