Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-08-19

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hard. rocky structure, devoid alike oi
moisture and atmosphere. and there
fore unaffected hy the elements. The
stony surfaces Of our mountains here
on earth change In outline from age
to age by flowing waters. BY frost,
By driving Winds and pelting hall
aud rain. None Of these destructive
agencies are present on the moon.
Hence there are no changes on the
lunar surface. There IL no water
on the moon nor changes Of seasons.
monotony relgns unbroken through
tho ages.
Only two events ever transplre ON
the moon. the alienation Of day and
night and the falling OF an occasion
al meteor. The rotation ~ the moon
on its axis exactly comedies with ~
revolution around the earth. Thus Il
n impossible 20 ever see the oppo-
site side 0f the moon. The day on the
moon Is nearly month long. Dur
ing the lunar day the temperature
rises to about the degree OF boiling
water Rt sea level on earth. During
the lunar night the temperature falls
TO absolute zero. Such range Of
temperature IL without significance
on the moon. This change OF tenn
perature produces 40 effect whatever
In a world where there IL neither
growth nor decay.
The impact of moteors upon the
moon has produced the only modih-
cation OF its surface 10 far noted by
astronomers. The fall of metcors on
the lunar surface IL different from
the same phenomenon on earth
Millions Of mcteorH come 20 the earth
out Of space every twenty -four hours
These are generally dissolved into
gases or reduced TO impalpable dust
Immediately after entering our at
mosphere. In the new form Of gas
or dust they finally subslde gently 90
the carth;s surface. The dissolution
OF meteor passing into our atmos-
phere IN attended by conflagration
which marks the meteOrs path
through the sky. There II no such
phenomenon In tho lunar sky. In
deed. the moon has no sky. The
meteor. innudibio and invisible
strikes the moon with full force. The
impact generates heat and there may
result lake 81 lava from the fusion
OF the rocky surface. Such IN the
only heat the moon has ever known,
and lava II the only liquid the moon
has ever known. The mountains at
the moon. some nearly AS high az
the highest on earth. are not vol
canic. They seem TO be piles OF me-
teorio stone. The moon has no in
terror heat and never has had II. The
moon has never had a volcano. The
rrRters plainly visible through telc-
scopes. were made By the impacts Of
meteors and never from volcanic
eruptions or other interior force.
Some Of the lunar craters are any
miles In diameter. These craters.
large and small, are multitudinous
on the lunar surface some of the
meteors which in ages past have coli
lided with the moon were so large an
10 be called moonlets by certain
astronomers. who believe that band
or shoal OF small bodies revolved
with the moon and in nearly the
same orbit The larger ones must
have produced terrific moonquakes
when they struck.
An meteors striking the moon
grind and pulverize the rocky struc-
ture. This pulverizlng process has
gone on throughout the ages. Hence
with dust. Astronomers believe this
60 be the case. The dust created by
the attrltion Of meteors cannot rise
IN clouds as II would do on earth,
hut would settle back quickly; the
inner particles might yield Ia outside
Influences and pass of into space.
Some OF Il or all Of II might come
To the earth. The cosmic dust found
la our atmosphere may be OF lunar
origin.
The moon has neither water nor
atmosphere and never has had eth
cr. It's gravtational force IN too
weak 10 retain either water or at
mospherc against the superior at
fractions of the earth Air and va.
ter are created boy heat and chem
zeal actlon during the earlier stages
of the development OF celestial
i body. The moon probably did not
pass through any such stage and.
therefore, has never been a .labora-
tory fog the generation OF utmos-
phero or water
The moon mas NO stratified rock
The rock strata 80 notable IN the
\ structure of the earth were laid down
by the sea. The moon has never had
sea and therefore has no aqueous
rock formations. The moon seems to
! be mere aggregation 0f large and
/ small boulders. held together hy mu-
tual attraction. These boulders here
and there project into high noun
tains. The bright parts plainly visl-
BILE to the naked eye are mountain
OTIS, while the darker parts are the
level, dust covered plains. These
lunar surface features are the most
constant and unchanging marks
known In celestial or terrestrial ma.
ture. The topography OF the moon b.
unaltcruhle and a lunar map OF two
thousand years ago, " accurately
drawn, would need not the slightest
modification Tor the student today
ON earth our coast lines change ISL
ands appear and disappear. the green
, regions swing 20 and from across the
attitudes foilowing the sun north and
south. Thousands OF changes occur
10 the landscapes But nothing OF
the kind happens on the moon The