Year: 1875

sumo tllat Sue Is tnUS UppOmttu III
least, rs long as the race of man needs
her service.


is THE MOON INHABITED!


Reasoning from what we know of the
necessities of animal life, we should un-
hesitatingly answer, No. There is nc
atmosphere on the moon, and if no ali
there can be no clouds, and therefore nc
rain and if no rain, no vegetation, and
if no vegetation, nothing TO support
animal life. But how do we know that
there is no atmosphere on the moon 2
Thus When the sun, moon or stars
rise or set, we always see perfect
image of them while they are actually
belOlO the horizon, and, of course, out of
sight. Thus, when the sun is seen rest
ing his lower edge on the horizon, it is
not the san itself we see, but only his
image. The same is true of the moon
and all the stars. This remarkable fact
is owing to the refroctiUe power of the
atmosphere 10y which the rays of light
are bent out of their course the moment
they enter it, and in this way images
of all the heavenly bodies are presented
to us before they rise, and remain with
us after they have set.


Now, if the moon had an atmosphere,
we should witness the same phenome-
non there. When a star disappears be-
hind the moon it would not pass in
stantly out of sight, but its image
would linger, as i'll our atmosphere ;
but, instead of this, we invariably find
an instantaneous eclipse of the star,
and no appearance whatever of the
lingering image, and hence we are COM
PEELED to infer that there is no atmos-
phere on the moon, and must accept all
the conclusions resulting from it.


True, there may be animals entirely
different i'll constitution from those of
our globe, but of this we have no evi-
dence, as the most powerful telescopes
cannot inform us respecting such small
objects. The general aspect of the moon
is unfavorable to the supposition that it
is now inhabited. As seen with our
largest instruments, its surface is eX-
ceedingly broken, as if it had been sub
iect TO far more violent volcanic action
than our globe. In proportion to its
size, the mountains are much higher
than those of the earth, some reaching
an elevation of $4,000 feet, nearly rs
high as the Himalayan range. Fright
full precipices abound, one, at least, ris-
ing perpendicularly $1,000 feet. There
are also numerous crater-like mountains,
having concentric rings-rings within
rings-having n diameter of more than
fifty miles. In the centers of these I'M
mense craters are often distinctly seen
mountains of great height-mountains
within mountains-seemingly formed by
the volcanic matter formerly thrown ont,
and which fell back into these vast
craters. Some of these are greatly de
pressed below the general surface, often
sinking as low as 1000 feet. These de-
pressions are the dark parts of the lunar
suface so distinctly seen by us, and not
seas and oceans, as formerly supposed,
while the brighter portions are the more
elevated.


1t has generally been admitted that
volcanic action has long since ceased on
the moon. Some recent observations,
however, on particular crater seem to
have revealed some change of aspect,
and hence it has been thought that that
particular volcano may possibly be in q
state of eruption. As we have never
seen but one side of the moon, and
never shall see the other, it is impossible
for us ever to know what is transpiring
on the opposite side.


This one-sided view of the moon is
owing to the fact that it revolves on Its
axis i'll exactly the same time that it re-
wolves around the earth. This will be
understood by revolving ball once Oh
its axis while it moves once around Q
fixed point.


DISTANCE AND MAGNITUDE OF THE MOON


The moon, though apparently as large
as the sun, is, in reality, the smallest
heavenly body visible to the unaided
eye. Her diameter is 2,164 miles.
AS spheres are to each other as the
cubes of their diameters, it follows tha
the moon is only one forty ninth the SIZE
of the earth, the earth's mean diameter
being 1912 miles.


Seventy millions of such globes q.
the moon would be requisite to make ont
equal to the sun.


The reason why the moon appears a


large as the sun is because of its near


ness, its distance being only 240,00'


miles, while the sun is about 100000


miles. The moon then is by far tn,


nearest of all the heavenly bodies. He


distance, however, is not always tn


same, but changes, so that at times it i


Thirty thousand miles less distant thai


at others.


Were there railroad to the moon, j


would require five hundred DAYS to max
: q journey there, travelling night and dn
at the rate of twenty miles an hour.
In consequence of the moon bein
only one forty-ninth the bulk of tn
earth, and about eighty times lighter i
!, proportion, bodies on her equator woul
. weigh much less than on the surface G
J the earth, because there is less matte
, acting on these bodies to draw them t
: the center of the moon. For example
man on the earth weighing IL
, pounds, on the moon would weigh onl
, 20 pounds, so that il his strength +,
mained the same, he would be able lea
, with ease over the tops of the TALES
. trees of the forest. On the other han(
, il man weighing 200 pounds wer


transferred TO the sun, he would weig
/ $3.50 pounds, and if his strength II
J NAMED only the same, he would b
chained down to the surface in ute
! helplessness, as shown in another article
J Were this same man, weighing Y