The Moon, A Physical Geography Lesson 



Lena S. Thomas 

 Supervisor of Children's Gardens for the Carnegie Steel Co. 

 Duquesne, Pa. 



Scientists have proved by photography, and observations 

 through powerful glasses, that the moon has no atmosphere, and 

 no atmosphere means no water, as well as no air. Let us consider 

 for a moment what effect the lack of water and air would have 

 on the vegetable, animal or human life of our own planet : Could 

 plants grow without air? That is easily shown to be impossible 

 by trying to grow a plant under a glass jar, from which the air 

 has been exhausted, the plant ceases to grow, becomes stiff and 

 finally dies. Do you think animals could live without air' Do 

 you think you yourself or any one you know could live without 

 air? Have you heard the story of the miserable prisoners in the 

 dungeon called "The Black Hole of Calcutta," who died because 

 they could not get air to breathe' We all know how we sleep 

 with our windows open nights to get good air. 



We all know that neither plants, animals nor people can live 

 without water. So we must decide that the earth without her 

 atmosphere would be an impossible place to live on. For the 

 same reasons it is easy to see that if the moon has no atmosphere 

 it would be impossible that there should be any form of life there. 



We can make observations on the lack of atmosphere around 

 the moon for ourselves with field glasses. If we observe an eclipse 

 of the sun by the moon or see the moon passing between the earth 

 and a star, we shall see that those bodies disappear sharply and 

 reappear abruptly; there is no gradual changing of color nor 

 softening of light. Scientists say this is due to the lack of any 

 atmosphere such as the earth has; if there were any, during an 

 eclipse of the sun by the moon the sun would not entirely disap- 

 pear but would be revealed to us by a ring of dazzling luster, 

 caused by the refraction of its rays by the air. 



We should begin our observations of the moon through our 

 glasses while it is a narrow crescent, and follow it as it fills, we shall 

 be looking at the tops of moon mountains, which will be flooded 

 with light as the moon rises, leaving the lower spaces buried in 

 blackness; people can measure the height of these mountains 

 by these great shadows, which are cast across the valleys. 



365 



