The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-08-14

tThS " bbe MIA n thts tDtQ1t
serses b. Prof. ssrvIssJ.
By Garrett p. SerVisS.
TT you had q telescope with you
on the moon, as powerful a. ne
= largest on the earth, II would
show you things that no astrono-
msr ever saw here. because Of the
advantage that II would derive from
the absence Of an atmosphere
dulled with impurities Of all SortA
and nlIsd with confusing undulA-
tionA
Unstsadinsss Of the air II the
greatest obstacle 70 telescope o.
servation, and II alone sufficss to
limit the effective size Of the as
tronomer's Instruments. A large
telescope takes In . 30 much greater
area Of atmosphere than a smali
one that what II gains in size is
often more than lost In obscurity Of
view. but you would not have that
trouble on the moon. for there the
images of the heavenly bodies
would be perfectly sharp. without
any twinkling or vibration. and you
might be able to use maSnifying
powers many timel greater than
any ever employed on earth
do not believe that you could
see the Inhabitants Of the earth
from the moon with any telescope,
but you could surely see their cities.
their harbora their great roada,
their cultivated fields. and the
smoke OF their factories, steamships,
eonnagrations and battles. You
could watch the clouds drifting over
broad landscapes. see the motions Of
. cyelontc storm or follow the ad-
vance OF an army.
When night covered the face OF
the earth, that awful lines of con-
fronting trenches IN France would
nare and fash with continual dis
charges liks the field of a spInthar-
oscore, and you could say to your
iunarian friends: They are KoinR
to charge the batteries at daybreak,
up there"
A Black Circle.
when the earth was new it
would appear like . black circle. or
hole. in the starry sky. two degrees
In diameter. close to the sun, ana
surrounded through the larger part
$780, - - --.-S.,.
perbly beautiful a. seen In the tele-
scope The lunarians would Be
Gstonishsd when you told them that
that strange light was due to an
invisible ocean of gas surrounding
the earth. and which your fellow
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over It relies Of its ancient history
M 'rono MoTlo
AZ YOU advnooed .outhward iron
the middle Of the Sea Of ShoWsnI-
you would see. rising slowly higher
and higher aooVs the horizon ahead
Of you . range Of quite earthliko
mountains. except that their OUT
lines would appear sleeper and
more rugged than those Of any
mountains you had ever seen Gt
home.
These mountains are known to
astronomers a. the Lunar CArpa-
thianG- They form part Of the
shore Of the Mare Imhrium- When
you had struggled through their
Wild gorEes. a. dry a. an arroyo
In midsummer. and arrived on the
verge Of their southern eliza you
would see before you. some forty
miles away, across Q very bIok0A
country, q long. ssrrated. shining
line, cut sharply against the black
sky, and resembling the precipi-
tous edge OF a vast elevated plA-
teau. like the mssas Of New NsxicA
CraterS.