hausman] THE MOON STORY 361 



interesting when I tell you that this is just a little larger than the 

 area of South America. Unfortunately we do not know what the 

 other side of the moon is like, for we havs never seen it. Isn't 

 that curious? See if you can twirl an apple on its stem, and keep 

 it, at the same time revolving about your closed fist so that the 

 same side of the apple is always toward your fist. If you can do 

 this then you will have some idea of why we earth people never 

 see but one side of the moon. But the moon sways a little as it 

 makes its monthly journey, just as though it were a little unsteady, 

 perhaps dizzy as it looks so far, far down at the earth, and as it 

 sways we see a little bit around first on one side and then on the 

 other. From these glimpses we judge that the unseen side is 

 very much like the seen. 



The magical, soft, silvery moonlight, which we all enjoy so much 

 is the light which the moon catches from the sun and reflects 

 down to us on earth. For the moon itself is cold and solid and 

 emits no light of its own, Like a great round, rough, silver mirror 

 it catches what light it can and sends it earthward. If you will 

 look very carefully when the moon is new, that is when it is merely 

 a thin crescent in the western sky, you will see the faint outline 

 of the whole big moon! This is what has been poetically called 

 "the old moon in the new moon's arms." The faint outline that 

 we see is illuminated by the reflected light from our own earth, 

 or earth shine, as it was termed. For you must remember that 

 to the moon our earth is also a moon, and shines almost fourteen 

 times as brightly! If only there were people living on the moon, 

 just fancy what wonderful "earthlight" nights they would be able 

 to enjoy! How far the light rays or waves that illumine this 

 faint ring of the "old moon" have travelled! They have travelled 

 from the sun to the earth, across to the moon, and then back to 

 the earth again. And if I tell you that the sun is about 93 million 

 miles from the earth you can find out the distance which these 

 waves have travelled. Try and see if you can! 



Of course you know that the moon does not change its shape, 

 but appears as a crescent, half, or full moon according to the 

 amount of its surface that is lighted by the sun. 



As has been suggested, it would be pleasant to think of children 

 on the moon, and grown ups, too, all enjoying our earth shine, 

 but alas, we know that there can be no children there, nor flowers, 

 grass, trees, or life of any kind. Neither are there brooks, or 



