THE MOON:

considered as A PLANET, A WORLD, AND A SATELLITE.
by James Nasmyth, C. E.
and James Carpenter, F.R.A.S.

with twenty-four illustrative plates of lunar objects, phenomena, and scenery; numerous woodcuts, etc.

London: John Murray, Albemarle Street. 1874.

This HTML version produced by Eric Hutton August 2000, copyright details

Preface

Chapter 1. ON THE COSMICAL ORIGIN OF THE PLANETS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
Origination of Material Things -- Celestial Vapours -- Nebulae -- Their vast Numbers -- Sir W. Herschel's Observations and Classification -- Buffon's Cosmogony -- Laplace's Nebular Hypothesis -- Doubts upon its Validity -- Support from Spectrum Analysis

Chapter 2. THE GENERATION OF COSMICAL HEAT.
Conservation of Force -- Indestructibility of Force -- lts Convertibility into Heat -- Dawn of the Doctrine -- Mayer's Deductions -- Joule's Experiments -- Mechanical Equivalent of Heat -- Gravitation the Source of Cosmical Heat -- Calculations of Mayer and Helmholtz -- The Moon as an Incandescent Sphere -- Not necessarily Burning -- Loss of Heat by Radiation -- Cooling of External Crust -- Commencement of Selenological History

Chapter 3. THE SUBSEQUENT COOLING OF THE IGNEOUS BODY.
Cooling commenced from Outer Surface -- Contraction by Cooling -- Expansion of Molten Matter upon Solidification -- Water not exceptional -- Similar Behaviour of Molten Iron -- Floating of Solid on Molten Metal -- Currents in a Pot of Molten Metal -- Bursting of Iron Bottle by Congelation of Bismuth within -- Evidence from Furnace Slag -- From the Crater of Vesuvius -- Effects of Contraction of Moon's Crust and Expansion of Interior Production of Ridges and Wrinkles -- Theory of Wrinklea -- Examp1es from shrivelled Apple and Hand

Chapter 4. THE FORM, MAGNITUDE, WEIGHT, AND DENSITY OF THE LUNAR GLOBE.
Form of Moon -- Not perfectly Spherical -- Bulged towards Earth -- Diameter -- Angular Measure -- Linear Measure -- Parallax of Moon -- Distance -- Area of Lunar Sphere -- Solid Contents -- Mass of Moon -- Law of Gravitation -- Mass determined by Tides and other Means -- Density˜How obtained -- Specific Gravity of Lunar Matter˜Force of Gravity at Surface -- How determined -- Weights of similar Bodies on Earth and Moon -- Effects of like Forces acting against Gravity on Earth and Moon

Chapter 5. ON THE EXISTENCE OR NON-EXISTENCE OF A LUNAR ATMOSPHERE.
Subject of Controversy -- Phenomena of Terrestrial Atmosphere -- No Counterparts on Moon -- Negative Evidence from Solar Eclipses -- No Twilight on Moon -- Evidence from Spectrum Analysis -- From Occultations of Stars -- Absence of Water or Moisture -- Cryophorus -- No Reddening of Sun's Rays by Vapours on Moon -- No Air or Water to complicate Discussions of Lunar Volcanic Phenomena

Chapter 6. THE GENERAL ASPECT OF THE LUNAR SURFACE.
Pre-Telescopic Ideas -- Human Countenance -- Other supposed Resemblances -- Portrait of Full Moon -- Permanence of Features -- Rotation of Moon -- Solar Period and Solar Day on Moon -- Libration -- Diurnal -- ln Latitude -- In Longitude -- Visible and Invisible Hemispheres -- Telescopic Scrutiny -- Galileo's Views -- Features Visible with Low Power -- Low Powers on small and large Telescopes -- Salient Features -- Craters -- Plains -- Bright Streaks -- Mountains -- Higher Telescopic Powers -- Detail Scrutiny of Features therewith -- Discussion of High Powers -- Education of Eye -- Highest practicable Power -- Size of smallest Visible Objects.

Chapter 7. TOPOGRAPHY OF THE MOON.
Reasons for Mapping the Moon -- Ear1y Maps -- labours of Langreen -- Hevelins˜Riccioli -- Cassini -- Schroeter -- Modem Maps -- Lohrman's -- Beer and Maedler's -- Excellence of the last -- Measmememt of Mountain Heights -- Need of a Picture Map -- Formation of our own -- Ske1eton Map˜ Table of conspicuous Objects -- Descriptions of special Objects˜Copemicus˜Gassendi -- Eudoxus and Aristotle˜Triesnecker -- Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina -- Thebit -- Plato -- Valley of the Alps -- Pico -- Tycho -- Wargentin -- Aristarchus and Herodotus -- Walter -- Archimedes and the Apennines

Chapter 8. ON LUNAR CRATERS.
Use of term Crater for Terrestrial and Lunar Formations -- Truly Volcanic Nature of Lunar Craters -- Terrestrial and Lunar Volcanic Areas compared -- Similarity˜Difference only in Magnitude -- Centra1 Cone -- Found in great and small Lunar Craters -- Formative Process of Terrestrial Volcanoes -- Example from Vesuvius -- Vast Size of Lunar Craters -- Reasons assigned -- Origin of Moon's Volcanic Force -- Aqueous Vapour Theory untenable -- Expansion upon Solidification Theory -- Formative Process of a Lunar Crater -- Volcanic Vent -- Commencement of Eruption˜Erection of Rampart -- Hollowing of Crater -- Formation of Central Cone -- Of Plateau˜Various Heights of Plateaux -- Coneless Craters -- Filled-up Craters -- Multiple Cones -- Craters on Plateau -- Double Ramparts -- Landslip Terraces -- Rutted Ramparts -- Overlapping and Superposition of Craters -- SourceConnection of such -- Froth-like Aggregations of Craters˜Majestic Dimensions of Larger Craters

Chapter 9. ON THE GREAT RING-FORMATIONS NOT MANIFESTLY VOLCANIC.
Absence of Central Cones -- Vast Diameters -- Difficult of Explanation -- Hooke's Idea -- Suggested Cause of True Circularity -- Scrope's Hypothesis of Terrestrial Tumescences -- Rozet's Tourbillonic Theory -- Dana's Ebullition Theory

Chapter 10. PEAKS AND MOUNTAIN RANGES.
Paucity of extensive Mountain Systems on Moon -- Contrast with Earth -- Lunar Mountains found in less disturbed Regions -- Lunar Apennines, Caucasus, and Alps -- Valley of Alps -- "Crag and Tail" Contour -- Isolated Peaks -- How produced -- Ana1ogy from Freezing Fountain˜Terrestrial Counterparts and their Explanation by Scrope -- Blowing Cone on Temerifee -- Comparative Gentleness of Mountain -- forming Action -- Relation between Mountain Systems and Crater Systems -- Wrinkle Ridges

Chapter 11. CRACKS AND RADIATING STREAKS.
Description -- Divergence from Focal Craters -- Experimental Explanation of their Cause -- Radial Cracking of Crust -- Outflow of Matter therefrom -- Analogy from "Starred" Ice -- No Shadows cast by Streaks -- Their probable Slight Elevation -- Open Cracks -- Great Numbers -- Length -- Depth -- In-fallen Fragments -- Shrinkage a Cause of Cracks -- Lateness of their Production

Chapter 12. COLOUR AND BRIGHTNESS OF LUNAR DETAILS: CHRONOLOGY OF FORMATIONS, AND FINALITY OF EXISTING FEATURES.
Absence of Conspicuous Colour -- Slight Tints of "Seas -- -Cause˜ Probable Variety of Tints in small Patches -- Diversity of Brightness of Details -- Most Conspicuous at Full Moon -- Classification of Shades -- Exaggerated Contrasts in Photographs -- Brightest Portions probably the latest formed -- Chmnology of Formations˜Large Craters older than Small˜Mountains older than Craters -- Bright Streaks comparatively recent -- Cracks most recent of all Features -- Question of existing Change -- Evidence from Observation -- Paucity of such Evidence -- Supposed Case of Linne -- Theoretical Discussion -- Relative Cooling Tendencies of Earth and Moon -- Earth nearly assumed its final Condition -- Moon probably cooled Ages upon Ages ago -- Possib1e slight Changes from Solar Heating -- Disintegrating Action

Chapter 13. THE MOON AS A WORLD: DAY AND NIGHT UPON ITS SURFACE.
Existence of Habitants on other Planets -- Interest of the Question -- Conditions of Life -- Absence of these from Moon -- No Air or Water and intense Heat and Cold -- Possible Existence of Protogerms of Life -- A Day on the Moon imagined -- Instructiveness of the Realization -- Length of Lunar Day -- No Dawn or Twilight -- Sudden Appearance of Light -- Slowness of Sun in Rising -- No Atmospheric Tints -- Blackness of Sky and Visibility of Stars and fainter Luminosities at Noon-day -- Appearance of the Earth as a Stationary Moon -- Its Phases -- Eclipse of Sun by Earth -- Attendant Phenomena -- Lunar Landscape -- Height essential to secure a Point of View -- Sunrise on a Crater -- Desolation of Scene -- -No Vestige of Life -- Colour of Volcanic Products -- No Atmospheric Perspective -- Blackness of Shadows -- Impressions on other Senses than Sight -- Heat of Sun untempered -- Intense Cold in Shade -- Dead Silence -- No Medium to conduct Sound -- Lunar Afternoon and Sunset-Night -- The Earth a Moon -- lts Size, Rotation, and Features -- Shadow of Moon upon it -- Lunar Night-Sky -- Constellations -- Comets and Planets -- No Visible Meteors -- Bombardment by Dark Meteoric Masses -- Lunar Landscape by Night -- Intensity of Cold

Chapter 14. THE MOON AS A SATELLITE: ITS RELATION TO THE EARTH AND MAN.
The Moon as a Luminary -- Secondary Nature of Light-giving Function -- Primary Office as a Sanitary Agent -- Cleansing Effects of the Tidesl˜Tidal Rivers and Transport thereby -- The Moon a "Tug -- Available Power of Tides -- TideMills -- Transfer of Tidal Power InIand -- The Moon as a Navigator's Guide˜- Longitude found by the Moon -- Moon's Motions -- Discovered by Observations˜Grouped into Theories -- Represented by Tables -- The Nautical Almanac -- The Moon as a Long-Period Timekeeper -- Reckoning by "Moons -- Eclipses the Starting-Points of Chronologies -- Furnish indisputable Dates -- Solar Surroundings revealed by Eclipses when Moon screens the Sun -- Solar Corona -- Moon as a Medal of Creation, a Half-formed World -- Abuses of the Moon -- Superstitions -- Erroneous Ideas regarding Moonlight betrayed by Artists and Authors -- The Moon and the Weather˜Errors and Facts -- Atmospheric Tides˜ Warmth from Moon -- Paradoxical Effect in cooling the Earth

Chapter 15. CONCLUDING SUMMARY

List of Plates