Omaha daily bee., 1914-07-12
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
d %

$50 miles from us; an enlargement OF 1000
times would bring II only within 23S miles Of
our vision. We have to study 1t usually from
still greater distance, of nearly 500 miles
What can we distinguish at such distance3
For the eruptions to be visible at all they must
be very violent.
We have no right to say that there are not
still fiery volcanoes there in full action. Tenn
Pile, while studying the Mont Blanc OF the lunar
Alps noted that while the district was In
shadow there was one luminous point, burning
with the brilliance of a star of the hfth mag
ntude for fifteen minutes, then disappearing
irrevocaby Had the astronomer seen rare
eruption? This same luminous point was
seen again by the English astronomer, Grover,
lasting for thirty minutes, with the brilliancy
of a star OF the fourth magnitude. This was
years later.
Instances OF the shadowing OF the soil, in
many regions OF the moon, during the long
solar day of fourteen times twenty-four hours
are numerous, and have selected some OF the
most characteristic after studying the seventy
one admirable photographs OF the Moon-Atlas
issued by the Paris Observatory, in which the
astronomer Pulseux has indicated the intrin.
sic variations which differences Of illumina.
ton do not explain. We may cite especially
an oval spot near the circle OF Vitruvius, which
measures nine by fifteen miles, and another
near the circle OF Ball, having the form of a
V, varying in size, but being greatest on the
nineteenth day of lunation; another near
Licetus, which the heat of the sun develops
or shades, attaining its maximum after the In.
sulaton has begun to decrease; another near
Struve, which increases inversely to the action
OF the suns heat. which sometimes looks like
a lizard, etc,
Since 1887 the Flammarion lunar circle a
great circular plain fifty-hye miles long near
the central meridian of the disk. has been
carefully observed by the astronomers OF every
country, and all of these astronomers agree
that most strange variations in color appear
when II is exposed to the solar rays. M, De.
seiligny claims, after years OF observation,
that he has found clear burrows and regions
which vary In shade according to the quantity
OF solar heat they receive. He has gathered
some l20 drawings under the title OF "Palus
putrednis" Ga locality on the moon), which
prove the following In proportion to the
height 10 which the sun mounts their horizon
the valleys take on sombre appearance. at
times very dark; when the sun is declining
they begin to get lighter and they resume
their gray tint toward evening, before sunset
Without insisting further on the variations
OF the lunar sun have only to conclude that
they are certain, and that the soil can no
longer be considered a block Of unVarying
mineral We may ask ourselves, what is the
nature Of these variations, and may begin
with the most simple.
In February, 1914, noted some very simple
variations around me. In January we had
passed through very cold period and the soil
had been frozen 10 a considerable depth For
fourteen consecutive days from the 18th to
the 25th, the average temperature OF the TWEEN.
ty-four hours was below zero in Paris going
as low as or 10 below. Between the I'd and
9th OF February we had a radiant sun clear
cold nights white frost in the mornings We
saw some peculiar things on the earth The
pavements in all this fine weather, remained
damp and dark all day. except those which
were dried by the sun and wind. In the parks
we walked on mud made by the earth and ice
The condensation of the humidity fixed by the
frost in the morning gave the asphalt pave.