The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1914-04-24

I earth with an ironical smile
Is so close to us that we
have excellent opportunity to pry Into
its secrets. Since the telescope was
invented. in 1908, astronomers have
busted themselves In endeavoring to
find out what this other world looks
like at close quarters. and, thanks
to many a fine photograph full OF de-
tail of landscape, we now have maps
OF that satellite which are at least
as accurate as those we have OF GER
tain countries and more ample than
those of the heart of Africa and the
Polar regions.
The moon is nearer to us than Is
any other heavenly body; only 23S,SS3
miles divide it from us-a distance
bullet could cover in some eight days
and an express train in some six
months-a distance which seems
short, indeed, when we recall the fact
that the sun is four hundred times
further from us. Our huge modern
telescope, instruments which, in size'
suggest big guns, permit us to make
most minute observations and, as 1t
were, bring the lunar landscapes as
close to us as, say, London Is to Edin-
burgh. So, by using our eyes, we can
take very entertaining voyages to the
moon. Thus we can see her extensive
gray plains, which are nothing more
than dry beds representing seas that
no longer exist and appear to the I'M
aided vision as dark patches; SO we !,
can note her mountain ranges, which
may be compared with the Alps, the
Cordilleras and other chains, not only
in aspect but also in height-from
5000 to 5000 meters. The biggest
of the moons mountains, called Cur
thus by astronomers, has a summit
which is $500 meters from the plain;
that is to say, 1t equals Mount Ever
est, the highest mountain of the earth.
And 1t must be remembered that for
ty-nine moons could be placed In our
globe, 80 that, comparatively. the
lunar mountains are much more I'M
posing than ours. At present, with
the best telescopes and at the most
favorable times, we can observe on
the moons surface tiny craters barely
200 meters In diameter. Were the
moon inhabited, had 1t cities and
towns and things like our canals.
harbors and so on, we could see these
with ease, and a place like London,
for instance, would appear as a very
bright spot during night time on the
moon. But there is nothing Of the
sort. The moon has neither air nor
water, for 1t is a wandering corpse
among the stars.
Much that we know of the moon is
puzzling. Notably so are the remark
able mountains, some of which are
shown in the illustrations. The moon
is one great Norway-mountain after
mountain. But the mountains are not
formed as are those of the earth. They
are rings of stone, in which are conf
cal mountains. Make ring OF salt
on the table cloth, half an inch high;
in this ring place conical mountain
of salt rather smaller than a thin
BILE; and you have model of noun
tain of the moon. Place candle so
that its light causes the salt noun
taihs to cast long shadows on the
cloth, and you have more or less the
aspect of a lunar landscape as re-
vealed by a telescope when the suns
rays are striking 1t cross ways. Such
IN q
visitor to the moon is seen in one OF
the illustrations.
The moon has probably 100000 OF
these extraordinary stone rings-some
80 to 100 kilometers! The earth has
no mountains resembling these, and
many have wondered why nature
should have built 80 differently on
the moon, have speculated as to how
the particular form Of mountain came
into being. We can only show arti-
fetal mountains" having any resem.
blance to those of our satellite. A
cinematograph Aim of shot falling
into a mass OF pulp would make a
very BOOu lllubJIdIlOHp q IlLlb lOi hio'
suggesting the ring mountain of the
moon. If stone be dropped from
a certain height on to thick plaster,
a similar ring will be formed. Not
ing this, one feels convinced that the
ring mountains of the moon we're ere
ated in like fashion by the falling
of gigantic meteors on to the moon
while its surface was still in WIS.,
cous state. How is 1t possible, though,
that ring mountains 100 kilometers
wide should be so formed on the
moon, when we, who are SO near to
It, have never observed meteors Of
anything approaching the necessary
size, have only seen specimens weigh
ing few kilograms? We must find
another solution.
If thick pulp is being cooked, bub
bles form on its surface and, in burst
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