Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-04-25


down upon the fOllics OF the
!AsMyII earth with an irouical smile.
is so close to us that we
have excellent opportunity TO pry lhIo
its secrets. Since the telescope was
invented. in 1908. astronomers nave
busted themselves in endeavorlng 10
find out what this other world LOOKS
like at close quarters, and, thanks
TO many a fine photograph fun or de-
tail OF landscape. We now have maps
of that satellite which are al least
as accurate as those We have OF Ger
tain countries and more ample IMAM
those Of the heart OF Africa and the
Polar regions.
The moon is nearer TO us than -
anv other heavenly body, only -o>N""
miles divide it from Us distance
bullet could cover in some eight d'!S
and an express train in some SIN
months-a distance which seems
short. indeed when We recall tae ldc'
that the sun is four hundred times
further from US. Our huge moUet"
telescope. instruments which, IN size
suggest big guns, permit US 10 HaAe
most minute observations. ana, as i
were. bring the lunar landscapes as
close to US as, say, London Is 10 Fun
burgh. SO. BY using our eyes, We can
take very entertaining voyages TO lhe
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, winch
may be compared with the Alps 'iie
Cordilleras and other chains, not on!
in aspect, but also in helght-lIoi
5000 to 5000 meters. The olS6e91
Of the moons mountains, called Cul
thus by astronomers, has a sunltil'
which is $500 meters from the pam
that is to say it equals Mount Ever
est. the highest mountain OF the earIH
And II must be remembered that lot
ty-nine moons could be placed III o'i
; globe, so that, comparatively lhe
lunar mountains are much more III
e posing than ours. At present, WIZ
lllb pest ltltSNOpCS anu oN
e favorable times, We can observe vi
\ the moons surface tiny craters OarelS
200 meters in diameter. Were th'
moon inhabited. had 1t cities ant
towns and things like our canals
4 harbors and so on, we could see thes'
n with ease, and a place like London
# for instance, would appear as yer!
r bright spot during night time on IN
J. moon But there is nothing or TN
o sort. The moon has neither air no
q water. for it is wandering corps
J. among the stars.
G. Much that we know of the moon /
puzzling. Notably so are the remarE
able mountains. some of which ar
shown in the illustrations. The moo
is one great ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ate
mountain. But the mountains are nc
formed as are those of the earth. The
u are rings of stone, in which are con
. cal mountains. Make a ring OF sa
., on the table cloth, half an inch hlgh
~ in this ring place a conical mOuntal
of salt rather smaller than thin
BILE; and you have model OF mouI
tain of the moon. Place candle
that its light causes the salt mou
tains to cast long shadows on u
cloth, and you have more or less u
aspect OF a lunar landscape as
ne vealed by a telescope when the sun
he RAYS are striking it cross ways. SUI
as a landscape as it would appear to
S: visitor to the moon is seen in one
". the illustrations.
n; The moon has probably 100000
A these extraordinary stone rings-sor
Y, hut a few meters wide; others fro
so to 100 kilometers, The earth
NO mountains resembling these, a
many have wondered why natu
49, should have built so differently
the moon, have speculated as to h'
hu the particular form of mountain cal
Ia into being. We can only show al
nd, fetal mountains" having any reese
rec blance to those Of our satellite.
he cinematograph film of shot fall
or. into a mass of pulp would make
very good illustration; a ring forr
suggesting the ring mountain OF
moon. IL stone be dropped fr'
a certain height on to thick plast
ing a similar ring will be formed. n
oh. Ing this, one feels convinced that
cid ring mountains of the moon were c
.. ated in like fashion by the fall
tod Of gigantic meteors on to the me
while its surface was still In a
Vi cous state. How is it possible, thou
est that ring mountains 12o kilomet
wide should be 80 formed on
ion. moon. when we. who are SO near
.ss IT,. have never observed meteors
pic anything approaching the necess
size, have only seen specimens wei
ing a few Kilograms! We must
'i'' another solution.
IVA II a thick pulp is being cooked,
bles form on its surface and, In ou