The Dark and the New Moon.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 18 August 1910, Page 4

The Dark and the New Moon.

Many people have wondered \vby tlie part of the moo 11 that receives 110 sunlight is often visible to us, the term being the "old moon in the young moon's arms." The dark part is easily seen as a copper coloured globe reposing in the bright crescent. This that we sec is nothing more or less than the earthshine on the moon. "Wo appear the same way to the moon when we are in that phase, and our dark part is where the moonshine appears and the bright part the sunshine. The reason why the copper coloin appears is because light has to traverse the atmosphere of the earth three times—once on coming from the sun to the earth, once when reflected to the moon, and aga'n 011 being reflected back to us. Our atmosphere possesses the peculiar property of absorbing the b'luo rays of this whtite light and allowing only the red and orange to go through, thus causing the appearance of copper colour by the triple absorption. An odd thing connected with this phenomenon, though having nothing to do with it, is thus:--That part of the moon which appears dark to us is the same part of the earth that appears liight to the moon at any specified time, and that part of the moon which appears bright to us corresponds to the portion of the moor, winch appears bright to us corresponds to the portion of the earth appearing dark to the moon. Of course, it is well known that the moon gives out 110 light whatever itself, the moonshine being merely the light of the sun on the moon reflected to us. The .same applies with the earth in its shine on the moon, save that we do give out glows, 110 doubt, around great cities at night. 011 account of the enormous number of lights. One thing, however, in which moonshine excels the earthshine is its constant character. While the earth possesses varying clouds the old 1110011 never has any at all.