The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1914-04-02
SOUTH POLE OF The MOON

Astronomers. by the aid o. porerful
Instrumental means probe ne ven
heart % the south pole of th= moon.
With ease and comfort We gaze ooun
upon an that Is % b. seen. Were
nan 10 place himself there. De- Eo1l1
add hut little 10 our present knopl-
edge. Ever mountain. hlllock. crater
Jet. and even surface crack. las bee
carefully recorded inleei. in a
tOr0Ers phicaI sense We kEoW more
about the moon than We DO not oniy
Of the earth's Antarctic lands. bli
even also Of central Africa The fact
that there is AZ almost complete al
sence Of air upon our satellite rendeFS
the minute@t surface features clearly
visible. The fact. also. that this globe
constitutes our nearest ueiEhbor -
space alloEs q lunar exploration 20 b
conducted In silence though great tel-
escopes. without the accompaniment
Of perilOus adventure. Our knOEledge
of the lunar world teaches Us Of a
planet that may be totally unlike our
own: OF a globe minus both air and
Nater and every essential 70 life e1-
istence. In fact. We are taught OF 4
world With the conditions for life de
struction. OF a planet where rain and
wind storms 20 erode and obliterate
the mountains we're never known.
and where the rough-cast surface. in
its original state and exposed TO our
scrutiny. stands today precisely as Il
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 a snow
or ice clad pole. the once igneous
rocks. caused by the cosmica. FIRE. are
there as barren and exposed TO our
view as at the equator. MonOtOny and
silence peryade the entire planet
Within the regions OF the lunar south
pole the superscriPtions Of the surface
remain untarnished. every yestige as
crisp and bright as when 1t 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 would 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 W.
know Il, would have no counterpart or
the moon. for absence OF air means
no dlffused light The untempered
rays OF the sun would appear sudden.
ly upon the black horizon. crowning
the mountain peaks with a dazzling
whiteness. with their hanks 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. Nc
atmosphere would mean no sky light
and the solar beams would burn as
fiercely as a gigantic electric light
few feet from the eye. with no dif
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
stant one stepped into the shadow OF
a crag he would become invisible
However loud no sound could be
heard, and even a landslide would be
known only by the tremor II produced.
As far as the eye could reach. the en-
tire landscape would resemble some
awful nightmare OF desolation and
llfelessness. a vision OF a world where
life has failed to dawn. and OF a planet
deemed unworthy to become the abode
OF intelligent beings.