Omaha daily bee., 1914-07-12
Famous French Astronomer Tells Why
He Believes the Satellite Still Has
anAtmosphere andMay Be theHome
of Monstrous Vegetable Life.
By Camille FlammariOn,
By Camille Flammarion,
The Famous French Astronomer.

lunar atmosphere is insignificant, whence the
German astronomer concluded that this atmos
phere, IL It exist must be at least 900 times
rarer at the surface OF the moon than at the
earth.
But this conclusion is excessive. for the oc
cultatons observed since then with the
greatest precision prove that this difference
is sometimes two seconds to two and a half
seconds. The received reason raised since
Bessels time against there being any lunar
atmosphere has no more value to-day, and the
probabilities all point in the other direction.
He relied with too much confidence upon
the telescope determinations of the diameter
Of the lunar globe. No one can have forgotten
the central eclipse of the which took place
near Paris especially over SaintGermain,
April II, 1912. That eclipse was neither an.
nular nor total, and l suggested for this
special case a name which has been generally
adopted, "pearled eclipse because the edge
of the sun remained visible in the intervals
between the irregularities of the lunar edge
produced by the mountains Of the moon pro.
jected upon the luminous edge, and because
these slopes presented the appearance of a
string OF pearls.
/ showed at the same time that henceforth
we should distinguish in our calculations
three diameters of the moon. /. The inside
circumference, passing over the plains and
valleys; g. The outer circumference, passing
over the summit; 3. An average circumference
between these two extremes. The extreme
circumferences differ by at least two seconds
or about $4,000 feet and give for the three
dameters, 2,152; 2,154; 2,15S miles
We see now how far we are from the abso
Lutte circle of Bessel We may also remark
that the mountainous contour changes in per,
spective according to the epoch and the libra.
tions or balancings of our satellite.
The moon may hide a star either by its
illuminated edge, or by the dark side The
duration of the occultation may reach one hour
and ffty-ive minutes. If it be central. The
star disappears almost instantly, even when
it is of the first magnitude, which may be true
of four stars in the zodiac before which the
moon may pass Aldebaran, Spica Virgnas,
Antares and Regulus. When the occutation Is
made by the dark side of the moon, which is
absolutely invisible, this sudden disappearance
always surprises the observer, although he
expects it.
Sometimes, instead of disappearing instant.
aneously the star shines through one of the
valleys of the moon, of which l have Just
spoken, and is hidden only after some delay.
Sometimes it is projected, like a small light
on the dark side of the moon, and only dis.
appears a few seconds later.
On February "a, 1904, observed the occul.
tation of Aldebaran, which was almost cen.
trail Aldebaran seemed like a reddish torch
by the side OF the moons golden light The
star disappeared instantly behind the dark
side Of the moon which was invisible. But
another observer, looking at the same phenom.
enon from another part Of the earth, observed
at Aldaharan ha ri
side OF the moon for two or three seconds be.
fore II disappeared. The moon is so near
our EARTH only thirty diameters Of the earth
away, that these variations ere common, be.
cause OF the different angle presented to OBJ
servers.
April "a, 1918, Gheury observing from Eft.
ham, England studied the occultation of the
star Pi Of Scorpio, of the third magnitude,
and he saw a very dim star issue from the
disk, which became more brilliant a second
later The observer attributed this phenom-
enon to lunar atmosphere sufficiently dense
TO have settled down into a valley behind
which the star was hidden at the moment OF
emergence.
The occultations of stars lead us, in certain
cases, to attribute an atmosphere to the moon
varying in density. This density may vary
considerably as the temperature of the soil
of this neighboring globe changes greatly.
The rays OF the burning sun heat it for long
period of fifteen times twenty-four hours, and
should raise the temperature higher than that
OF boiling water; and night just as long should
make the temperature fall every month below
freezing, possibly to 100 200 below zero
The stratum which may exist on the surface
of the lunar globe, and especially in the val.
leys. is subject to these great variations.
Moreover, although during solar eclpses
the edge Of the lunar disk is absolutely clear
and cuts the solar disk by a sharp intersec.
tion, there are, nevertheless. exceptions. Thus.
during the eclipses Of September 20, 1875, and
May II, 1882, the English astronomer. Noble,
saw at the two ends of the curve of contact