The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-08-11

ing but our immediate surroundings,
and if we attempted to Chamber over
them to get wider views, we should be
confronted by insurmountable obstacles.
But worst OF all, on the moon we
should find no air to breathe, no water
to drink, no clouds to screen off the
binding sunshine by day, and no vapor-
Gus blanket to afford protection at
night against the awful cold Of empty
space, hundreds Of degrees below zerol
Evidently there could be no polar or
other exploration amid such circum-
stances. But, situated as we are on
the earth, 100000 miles from the moon,
and yet get effectively near its south
pole by the aid of the telescope.
This shows us the whole polar region
in single view, and all it's features
are before us at glance. If we could
get a similar view of the Antarctic con-
tinent the entire scene OF the adven-
lures of Shackleton, Amundsen and
Scott would lie plain before us.
The telescope is genie more power
full than any in the Arabian Nights; it
seizes the moon for us and practically
puts it in our laps.
With magnifying power of 500 dia-
meters the moon is brought within $50
miles of the observer S eye; if the
power is 1000 the apparent distance is
240 miles; and with power Of 1000
the distance becomes only 120 miles.
Now let us see what this means.
Suppose you take an ordinary ter
restrial globe. on which the geographic
features of the earth are plainly rep
resented-the seas and lands, the noun
tains and plains, the locations of the
~, ~ ho ,1pbo ha N,,o
foot in diameter, a usual size. Take
it on your knees.
When it is one foot from your eyes
you see its features on the same scale
as you see those Of the moon with a
telescope magnifying only about 100
diameters, and small telescope will
easily magnify that much.
Then bring the globe within a dis
tance Of about SIX inches and its fea-
lures will appear on the same scale as
those of the moon when magnified 240
comparison when the magnlfving power
Of the telescope becomes a thousand or
two thousand, you must bring the globe
so near that distinct vision is de-
stroyed. and the only way to see its
features clearly is to use a magnify
ing glass.
This shows us how it is that, thanks
to the telescope, we really know more
about the surface of the moon, as q
whole. than we do about the surface
of the earth. OF course we do not see
the minute details, but, on the other
hand, we see the broad relations of
the moon IS geographic features better
than we can represent those of the
earth on an artificial globe.
Recently Mr.. Scriven Bolton. of the
Royal Astronomical society Of Great
Britain, has made a series of tele-
scopic studies Of the south polar region
of the moon, and then constructed
plaster of paris model OF them, which
can be photographed i'm an electric
light, at any desired angle of illumina
tion, and the pictures thus obtained
show the moon as it would appear TO US
if we could visit its surface, or hover
close above it in an aeroplane. The
mountains about the south lunar pole
are much grander than any found near
the south pole of the earth. Some Of
them are nearly five miles high, and
very steep,
Because of the absence of air and
water there is little weathering action
on the lunar rocks, and accordingly the
huge, sharp peaks stand up in all their
whereas the mountains Of the earth
are being continually worn down
Perhaps the feature of the lunar
landscanes which would appear most
wonderful to us is the immense num-
her OF great volcano,like craters that
pit the surface. One of these in the
neiehborhood of the south pole is called
Newton, and it is so deep and so steep.
walled that the sunlight can never
reach the bottom of it.
Owing to the absence Of air there is
no diffused light in the lunar sky The
heavens are as black as ink in full day
light.
The stars all shine, with dazzling
brllllance in the very presence of the
sun, and when the latter rises. at the
end OF the lunar night Of two weeks
duration, it is preceded BIZ no dawn. |
but comes up without warning curve
Of binding light. shootino above the !
horizon and quickly swelling into a
blazing. globe that smites The ragged |
mountain neaks with its unfempcrea
rays: Yet behind every rocky wall |
black nIPht Drevai1c o1tbo,ub tba oup |