Evening journal., 1906-08-09
The MOON AS IT
IS NOW KNOWN
Latest Idea of Scientific
Men as to Lunar Con-
ditiOnS
MOON LARGEST SATELLITE


Millions Of years ago the earth was
not the land-bound, sea-swept globe so
familiar to US, /but a liquid mass on
which noated crust some IS miles thick. |
At that period, it turned on its axis |
at constantly Increasing speed that
/ finally shortened the day to three
hours When that terrific velocity was
obtained 5000 cubic million miles of
matter We're hurled off by the enor-
nous centrifugal force and our moon |
was born.
The cleaving Of so large a body must
have left some scar on the earth's sur
face. 1t has accordingly been suggest |
ed that the great basin now occupied |
by the Pacific Ocean was once filled |
by what is now the moon.
Our moon has the distinction of being |
the largest Of ali planetary satellites; |
so large indeed, that to the inhabitants
of Mars it must appear with the earth |
as a wonderfully beautiful twin planet. |
Because the moon rotates on its
axis in exactly the same time that 1t |
revolves around the earth we are des-
tined to see little more than one hemi- |
sphere. SO slow is this rotation that
the lunar day is equal to Is of our
days. For half a month the moon is
exposed to the fierce heat of the sum-
for half a month itspins through space
In the densest gloom.
Smaller in mass than the earth is,
the moons attraction for bodies must
be correspondlngly less. A good terres-
tial athlete could cover about 100 feet
on the moon in a running broad jump
and leaping over a barn would be a
very commonplace feat. man I'm the
moon could carry six times as much
and run six times as fast as he could
ON the earth.
! Although separated from us by a dis
| tance that at times reaches 253,OOO
miles, and Is never less than 222,O0O
miles. we know more of the physical
! formation of the single pallid face that
the moon ever turns toward us that we
know of certain parts of Asia and the
heart Of Africa. Powerful telescopes
have brought our satellite within a dis
tance of 40 miles of the earth. Physi- |
clsts have mathematically weighed il |
and fixed its mass at one-eightieth of
the earth or $4,000, 100000 tons.
The moon presents aspects without |
any terrestrial parallel Rent by fires
long since dead. its honeycombed crust !
| seems like a great globe of chilled Stag. |
Craters are not uncommon on the
earth, but In number size and struc-
ture they bear, for the most part, little
resemblance to those Of the moon
A lunar crater is not the mouth of
a volcano having a diameter of a few
| hundred feet but n great circular plain
/ 20, so, even 100 miles IN diameter, sur
rounded by a precipice rising to a
height OF 5000 or 10000 feet, with
! central hin or two about half as high.
Water cannot possibly exist as a IL
qud FOR the temperature Of the moons
surface during tho long lunar night is
probably not far from 400 degrees he
low the zero mark Of a Fahrenheit
Thermometer, and tine atmospheric
pressure is so low that a gas under
pressure would solidify as it escaped.
Ice and snow are the forms, then
which lunar water must assume,
Because Of the present paucity of
water the moons atmosphere is so ex-
ceedingly rare thatstartling effects are
produced. Perhaps the most striking
is that of the sunrise. Dawn and the
soft golden glow that ushers in terres-
trial day there cannot be. The sun
leaps from the horizon a flaming sickle
and the loftier peaks Immediately flash
into light.
There is no azure sky to relieve the
monotonous effects of inky black shad-
ows and dazzling white expanses. The
sun CLEANS in fierce splendor, with no
clouds to diffuse its binding light. All
day long it is accompanied by the
weird zodiacal light that we behold at
rare intervals.
Even in midday the heavens are
pitch black so that, despite the sum
light, the stars and planets gleam with
. a brightness that they never exhibit to
us even on the clearest of moonless
nights at sea. They shine steadily, too;
for &c Is the earth's atmosphere that
causes them to twinkle to our eyes.
In the line of sight it is impossible
to estimate distance, for these is no
such phenomenon as aerial perspective.
objects are seen only when the rays
OF the sun strike them.
At times there may be observed
spots which darken after sunrise and
gradually disappear toward sunset.
/ They cannot be caused by shadows;
for shadows would be least visible
when the sun is directly overhead.
They appear most quickly at the
equator and invade the higher alti-
tudes after a lapse OF a few days. In
, the polar regions they have never
been seen. What are they? Organic
life resembling vegetation, answers
! Prof. Uickering, of Harvard Univer-
, sity; vegetation that fourishes luxur-
: iantly while the sun shines and withers
o. at night.
A single day, It may be urged. is not
d suficieutly long for the development
and decay OF vegetation; but IS hours
D, on moon is little more than half an
! hour on the EARTH day lasts half a
month. and may be regarded as a
g miniature season.