The Yale expositor., 1914-03-05
SOUTH POLE OF THE MOON


Astronomers, by the aid of powerful
instrL mental means, probe the very
heart of the south pole OF the moon.
With ease and comfort we gaze down
upon all that is TO be seen. Were
nan TO place himself there, he would
add but little to our present knowi-
edge. Every mountain, hillock, crater
let and even surface crack, has been
carefully recorded. Indeed, In a
typographical sense, We know more
about the moon than we do not only
of the earth's Antarctic lands, out
even also of central Africa. The fact
that there is an almost complete ap-
sence OF air upon our satellite renders
the minutest surface features clearly
visible. The fact, also, that this giope
constitutes our nearest neighoor In
space allows of lunar exploration to be
conducted in silence though great tel
escapes, without the accompaniment
of perilous adventure. Our knowledge
OF the lunar world teaches us OF
planet that may be totally unlike our
own; of a globe minus both air and
water and every essential TO life ex-
istence. In fact, we are taught OF
world with the conditions for life de-
struction; of a planet where rain and
wind storms to erode and obliterate
the mountains were never known,
and where the rough-cast surface, in
its original state and exposed TO our
scrutiny, stands today precisely as 1t
was nodded into shape by the Creator
many millions of years ago. With the
absence of atmosphere, the surface
is unaffected by position in latitude,
and whereas we might look for snow
or ice clad pole, the once igneous
rocks, caused by the cosmical fire, are
there as barren and exposed to our
view as at the equator. Monotony and
silence pervade the entire planet.
Within the regions of the lunar south
pole the superscriptions of the surface
remain untarnished. every vestige as
crisp and bright as when it left the
hands of the Almighty. No human be-
ing could visit the scene without TAX
ing with him a supply OF air and wa
ter. Even then he woIld find the tenn
perature standing at 5000 degrees be-
low zero F.
The strange conditions of the lunar
landscape which would meet the eye
of the explorer would be weird. baf-
fling and yet beautiful. Dawn, as we
know it, would have no counterpart on
the moon, for absence of air means
no diffused light. The untempered
rays of the sun would appear sudden.
ly upon the black horizon, browning
the mountain peaks with a dazzling
Wilderness, with their TANKS and val
leys yet in utter darkness. To the
lunar spectator this sunrise would be
unaccompanied by the gorgeous glow
ing sky tints so familiar on earth No
atmosphere would mean no sky light,
and the solar beams would burn as
fercely as a gigantic electric light
few feet from the eye. With no diff
fusing vapor, the sky, even at midday.
would appear darker than that with
which we are familiar on a moonless
night and the stars would shine
brighter than ever before. The in
slant one stepped into the shadow of
a crag he would become invisible,
However loud. no sound could be
heard. and even landslide would be
known only by the tremor it produced.
AS far as the eye could reach, the en-
tire landscape would resemble some
awful nightmare of desolation and
lifelessness, vision Of world where
life has failed to dawn, and of planet
deemed unworthy to become the abode
of intelligent beings.