Page:The Music of the Spheres.djvu/316



The curious gray areas which extend over two-fifths of the surface of the moon are the most conspicuous features to be seen with the unaided eye. These areas are comparatively smooth and level and invariably lower than the surrounding country. The rest of the moon is extremely rough, the southern hemisphere in particular presenting the most singular circumambient scenery of thousands of round pits fringed by lofty ramparts of circular mountains.

With the aid of a small telescope, the grayish spots on the moon somewhat resemble seas as they might appear at a great distance. Thus old astronomers, believing that they might at least be ancient sea-bottoms from which the water had evaporated, named them accordingly—although rather romantically. These names are still retained, disguised in Latin on the map of the moon and referred