El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-07-11

~AAIBRIDGE Mass, July 1.-THE
Harvard observatory declares
- that something is doing on
the moon. Prof w. ID lex
ering, the director OF Inat SCI
entifc establishment, cOnfesses Ihat
he cannot make out just what Is
going on; but the Mare Crlslum mas
Deen shining recently with varying
and sometimes extraordinary DrliAahcy
which is haru 10 explain
The Mare Crisium is one Of many So
called lunar eas'-although, as eF-
ervbodv knows there is no water on
the satellite. Taken all together, they
cover nearly half OF the moons sur
face. They are lower than the general
level Of the latter, and IL may be that
anciently they were sea bottoms but
The Mare Crisium is one Of the most
interesting Of them, and also one OF the
smallest, being Of little less Ihan the
area OF England and ireland put 10
Rether. Exceptionally deep, it repre-
6ents perhaps the lowest altitude on
the moon
Plentifullv sprinkled over most Of
the lunar surface are huge ring shaped
enclosures surrounded by lo1Jy clILs,
and smaller "craters' which formerly
were supposed to be Of volcanic origin
Most astronomers are now inclined 70
believe that both amphltheaIerS ana
s'craters" are scars made by the impact
of moonlets which formerly flOcked
about the lunar orb, and which even
tually fell upon it
Interesting experiments made by
dropping a ball Of clay from a height
upon a bed Of soft clay have shown
that scars altogether similar 10 the
lunar "craters" are thus formed. The
theory, at all events IS interesting and
biologists are obliged TO admit that the
earth on which we dwell bears no to
geographic features corresponding IN the
least to the ring plains which are the
distinctive and characteristic markings
OF the surface OF the moon.
One Of these ring plains is Mercurius
rs miles in diameter and remarkably
bright TO the eye. What makes it look
SO bright2 Nobody knows Different
parts Of the moon are Of very different
degrees Of brightness evidently because
of the rocky or other materials with
which they are covered. Some rocks
are much lighter in color than others
But when one speaks OF other materl-
ais" ii is necessary to consider snow
md ice as possibilities how, unless Dy
assuming the existence Of Ice or snow,
is one TO account for the WonderIul
ring plains Of Aristarchus, the uOor OF
which is Of dazzling whiteness, While
from the center Of il rises q peak that
actually glitters in the sun.
One Side Never Seen.
Who is there Of US that would not be
glad TO visit the Undiscovered country. I
meaning to call by that name the |
side Of tie moon which IS always turned |
away from US. No human being mas /
ever beheld it What is II hkeE one ]
may surmlSe that IL Is not very 0lIIef- /
ent from such parts Of the moons sur
face as we are acquainted with al 1
ready; but we do not know for certain /
The mystery possesses compelling /
fascination.
Fortunately. it so happens that al /
though unable TO explore the region IN 4
question, we can peep into It We can
actually look over the edge OF our side
Of the lunar orb. so to speak, and see
something Of what is on the back This l
because 1t librates or balances, IN /
such a way that sometimes we see lit
tie further around one edge, and some
times little further around the other
again. because 1t turns sometimes one j
pole toward the earth and sometimes /
the other, we see somewhat over the ]
top and under the bottom edge
Taking them altogether, the views /
Of the back of the moon thus obtained j
are rather considerable in extent We 4
can see nearly one-fifth Of il, com 4
prised within the limits Of a circular 1
strip which has been pretty well l
mapped by astronomers.
Wonderful Circular Plains.
So far as the principal features Of the
landscape are concerned, we can distin-
guish them clearly We behold wonder
ful circular plains, ringed about by /