/I&OOtt StU&2 89 



II 



Having dealt with the practical side of selenography, 

 I should like, if I may, to touch upon one or two 

 pictorial features of our satellite. Scarcely necessary 

 is it to make more than a passing mention of " The 

 Lady," " The Kiss," or " The Poodle " ; they have 

 received my attention elsewhere. " The Moon 

 Maiden," however, though not by any means a new 

 feature, is one perhaps not so generally known, as the 

 figure can best be seen only with a telescope, say, of 

 from two to three inches aperture. Mr. C. H. Cooker, 

 of Rugby, who has made some highly successful 

 drawings of it, has very kindly described for me how 

 to find this " Moon Maiden." First of all, the figure 

 can only be seen when the sun's rays illuminate that 

 particular portion of the lunar surface at a certain angle 

 and direction. Consequently, it is visible once only in 

 each lunation for a few hours, and then but seldom 

 under quite suitable conditions for observation. 



It is to be found in this way : " When the moon is 

 about ten days old, a telescope with a power of from 

 80 to 120 should be directed to the Sinus Iridum, or 

 Bay of Rainbows, and the retreat of the terminator 

 carefully watched as the sun rises on the Bay. Its 

 movement is at the rate of about half a degree in one 

 hour, so that considerable changes of aspect may be 

 noticed between several observations during the 

 same evening. In a position of mean libration the 

 terminator will reach 35 degrees east longitude at 

 about ten days nine hours, and the sun will be rising 

 on Cape Laplace, the western extremity of the Bay, 

 and casting a sharp-pointed shadow many miles to the 



