The Moon: considered as a planet, a world, and a satellite.

Name: The Moon: considered as a planet, a world, and a satellite.
Author: Nasmyth, James

Nasmyth, James

Moon

CHAPTER I.
  ON THE COSMICAL ORIGIN OF THE PLANETS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.            1
      Origination of Material Things—Celestial Vapours—Nebulæ—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 II.
  THE GENERATION OF COSMICAL HEAT.                                     11
      Conservation of Force—Indestructibility of Force—Its
          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 III.
  THE SUBSEQUENT COOLING OF THE IGNEOUS BODY.                          19
      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 Wrinkles—Examples from
          shrivelled Apple and Hand


                                 CHAPTER IV.
  THE FORM, MAGNITUDE, WEIGHT, AND DENSITY OF THE LUNAR GLOBE.         31
      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 V.
  ON THE EXISTENCE OR NON-EXISTENCE OF A LUNAR ATMOSPHERE.             39
      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

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The Moon: considered as a planet, a world, and a satellite.

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