Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-08-15
BIRTH OF THE MOON II
LUNA WAS FLUNG OUT OF THE EARTH
INTO SPACE.

Millions Of years ago the earth was
aot the land bound, sea swept globe
10 familiar to us, but liquid mass on
which foated crust some thirty-fve
miles thick. At that period, says the
Strand Magazine, It turned on Its axis
at constantly increasing speed that
finally shortened the day to three hours.
When that terrific velocity was OBJ
tanned 5000 cubic million miles of mat
ter were hurled off by the enormous
centrifugal force, and our moon was
born. The cleaving of so large body
must have left some scar on the earth's
surface. 1t has accordingly been sug-
gested that the great basin now occu-
pied by the Pacific. ocean was once
filed by what is now the moon.
Our moon has the distinction of be-
ing the largest of all planetary sat
ellltes-so large, indeed, that to the
inhabitants of Mars 1t must appear
with the earth as wonderfully beau
tiful twin planet
Because the moon rotates on Its axis
in exactly the same time that it re-
wolves 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 fifteen of our
days. For half a month the moon Is
exposed to the fierce heat of the sun;
for half a month 1t spins through space
In the densest gloom.
Smaller In mass than the earth Is,
the moons attraction for bodies must |
be correspondingly less. A good ter |
restrial athlete could cover about 100 |
feet on the moon In a running broad |
jump. and leaping over barn would |
be a very commonplace feat A man
in 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
distance that at times reaches 253,000 |
miles and is never less than $4,000
miles, we know more Of the physical
formation Of the single pallid face that /
the moon ever turns toward US than |
we know Of certain parts of Asia and
the heart Of Africa. Powerful tele-
scopes have brought our satellite with
in q distance Of forty miles Of the
earth. Physicists have automatically
weighed 1t and fixed its mass at one
eighth of the earth, or 100000, 0O0,-
600 tons.
The moon presents aspects without
any terrestrial parallel Rent by fires
long since dead. Its honeycombed
crust seems like great globe Of chill
ed Stag Craters are not uncommon on
the earth, but In number, size and
structure they bear for the most part
little resemblance to those of the moon.
A lunar crater ia not the mouth Of
volcano having a diameter Of few
hundred feet, but great circular plain
twenty, fifty, even a hundred miles
in diameter, surrounded by a precipice
rising to a height of 5000 or 10000
feet, with q central hill or two about
half as high.
Water cannot possibly exist as q
liquid, for the temperature Of the
moons surface during the long lunar
night Is probably not far from 400
degrees below the zero mark Of q
Fahrenheit thermometer, and the at
mospheric pressure is so low that a
gas under pressure would solidify as
1t escaped. Ice and snow are the
forms, then, which lunar water must
assume.
Because Of the present paucity OF
water the moons atmosphere ls 30 ex-
ceedingly rare that startling effects
are produced. Perhaps the most strik-
ing ls that Of the sunrise. Dawn and
the SOFT golden glow that ushers In
terrestrial day there cannot be. The
sun leaps from the horizon q flaming
sickle, and the loftier peaks imme-
diately fash Into light.
There Is no azure sky to relieve the
effects Of inky black shad-
ows and dazzling white expanses The
sun CLEANS In fierce splendor, with no
clouds to dIffuse It's binding light.
All day long 1t is accompanied by the
weird zodlacal light that we behold at
rare intervals.
Even I'm midday the heavens are
pitch black, so that, despite the sun
light, the stars and planets CLEAN
with brightness that they never ex-
hlbit to us even on the clearest OF
noonless nights at sea. They shine
steadily, too, for II is the earth's at =
nosphere that causes them to twinkle
o our eyes Il
In the line Of sight it is impossible =
o estimate distances. for there Is no
Iuch phenomenon as aerial perspec-
I've. Objects are seen only when the
'ays of the sun strike them.
At times there may be observed
pots which darken after sunrise and
disappear toward sunset
They cannot be caused by shadows
or shadows would be least visible
When the sun Is directly overhead.
They appear most quickly at the
equator and invade the higher alti-
udes after a lapse OF a few days. In
he polar regions they have never been
cen. What are they? Organic life
resembling vegetation. answers Pro
essor Pickering of Harvard univer-
ity, vegetation that fourishes luxurl-
ntly while the sun shines and withers
/ night q
A single day, II may be urged, 10
Iot sufficiently long for the develop II
nent and decay OF vegetation, but six
cen hours on the moon is little more -
han half I'm hour Oh the earth; day
lists half month and may be regard
as n miniature season.
The expressions "Halleluiah' and u
Amen" are said TO have been intro
uced into Christian worship by St.
erome about A. n. 800.
Enfoymenta