82 IN STARRY REALMS. 



provided by the moon itself, and that therefore our satel- 

 lite could not be a wholly non -luminous object. But this 

 inference is not a correct one, and to prove this to be so, it 

 is only necessary to imagine yourself for a moment an 

 inhabitant of the moon at the time when this phenomenon 

 is witnessed. To the Lunarian the earth would then 

 present much the same aspect as the full moon does to us. 

 There would, however, be one important difference, for the 

 full earth would present to the moon a disc thirteen times 

 as large as the full moon exposes to us. The intrinsic 

 brilliancy of the two lighted surfaces being the same, it 

 therefore follows that the Lunarian illuminated by a 

 " full " earth would find the country around him thirteen 

 times as brilliant as this earth is at night, when the full 

 moon is above the horizon. Here then lies the explanation 

 of that phenomenon which is often spoken of as the old 

 moon in the new moon's arms. It is indeed produced by 

 sunlight, only that sunlight has not shone directly on 

 the moon, but has been reflected there from the earth. 

 We have, in fact, sufficient reasons for knowing that the 

 moon exhibits no light of her own, and would necessarily 

 be wholly invisible were it not that light is provided from 

 another source. 



There is perhaps no more interesting question sug- 

 gested by the results of astronomical research than that as 

 to whether the other world* around us are inhabited. 

 These worlds exist in teeming myriads, they are of all sizes, 

 and in every stage of development. Some of them are no 

 doubt smaller than our own, but many of them are far 

 greater and more splendid. As our globe is clothed with 

 yerdure, and swarming with living creatures, it is surely of 



