Путешествие на Луну
The Romance of the Moon
Thus,then,advancingfromatomtomolecule,frommoleculetonebulousmass,fromthattoprincipalstar,fromstartosun,fromsuntoplanet,andhencetosatellite,wehavethewholeseriesoftransformationsundergonebytheheavenlybodiesduringthefirstdaysoftheworld.
Now,ofthoseattendantbodieswhichthesunmaintainsintheirellipticalorbitsbythegreatlawofgravitation,somefewinturnpossesssatellites.Uranushaseight,Saturneight,Jupiterfour,Neptunepossiblythree,andtheEarthone.Thislast,oneoftheleastimportantoftheentiresolarsystem,wecalltheMoon;anditisshewhomthedaringgeniusoftheAmericansprofessedtheirintentionofconquering.
Themoon,byhercomparativeproximity,andtheconstantlyvaryingappearancesproducedbyherseveralphases,hasalwaysoccupiedaconsiderableshareoftheattentionoftheinhabitantsoftheearth.
FromthetimeofThalesofMiletus,inthefifthcenturyB.C.,downtothatofCopernicusinthefifteenthandTychoBraheinthesixteenthcenturyA.D.,observationshavebeenfromtimetotimecarriedonwithmoreorlesscorrectness,untilinthepresentdaythealtitudesofthelunarmountainshavebeendeterminedwithexactitude.Galileoexplainedthephenomenaofthelunarlightproducedduringcertainofherphasesbytheexistenceofmountains,towhichheassignedameanaltitudeof27,000feet.AfterhimHevelius,anastronomerofDantzic,reducedthehighestelevationsto15,000feet;butthecalculationsofRicciolibroughtthemupagainto21,000feet.
