Chapter 16 Chapter Fifteen A Glimpse of the Invisible Side of the Moon

In fact, we have seen about one-seventh of it already, owing to the libration of the Moon which Barbicane just spoke of.However, on the two spindle-shaped lunar surfaces we see, there are plains and mountains, craters and craters everywhere, which are almost exactly the same as those drawn on the lunar map.Therefore, we can assert that the two sides are of the same nature, and belong to the same dull and dull world.But if atmosphere C had escaped to that side, would there be life on these regenerated continents with air and water?Will there be plants? Will all kinds of animals breed in these continents and seas?Under such habitable conditions, will there be people?How many interesting questions to answer!How many problems can be solved by simply observing this hemisphere!What a joy it is to be able to glimpse a world that the human eye has never glimpsed before.

Therefore, it is natural to imagine how frustrated the three travelers felt in this dark night.Unable to make any observations.Only the constellations of the sky attracted their attention, which, we must admit, were never observed under such favorable conditions by either the Fanas, the Charconacs, or the Sekis. In fact, the beauty of this world of stars immersed in the clear and transparent ether is unmatched.It seems that diamonds inlaid in the sky are shining brightly.From the cross constellation of the South Pole to the North Star, the two constellations indicating the North and South Poles will gradually decline due to the vernal and autumnal equinoxes in another 12,000 years. The latter gave way to Vigari of the northern celestial sphere.In this incomparably wonderful infinity the imagination of the three travelers floats and floats, and the projectile also travels in this infinity as a new heaven created by human hands.All these stars emit a soft light by nature, unlike the stars seen on the earth, because the atmosphere between them is variable in density and humidity, and is always twinkling.In this dark night sky and absolute silence, the stars are like gentle eyes watching you.

The three passengers just stared at the star-studded sky, "I didn't say a word for a long time, only the round shadow of the moon covered half of the sky. However, an unbearable painful feeling finally interrupted their conversation Contemplation. The severe cold suddenly formed a thick layer of frost on the glass inside the porthole. In fact, because the sun's rays did not reach the projectile, the little heat accumulated in the middle of the walls also slowly disappeared. This heat quickly The earth disappeared into space, and the temperature inside suddenly dropped. The moisture inside met the porthole glass, and it turned into ice, so it was no longer possible to observe.

Nicholl looked at the thermometer and found that the temperature had dropped to seventeen degrees Celsius.Whatever the reasons for economy, Barbicane, having borrowed light from gas, must now borrow heat from it.The temperature inside the shells was unbearable.If this continues, the three passengers in the carriage will inevitably freeze to death. "We can't complain that our journey is boring!" said Michelle.Adam said. "It is infinitely varied! At least in terms of temperature: we are blinded by the sun for a while, burning like Indians on the prairie, and sinking into infinite darkness, suffering like Eskimos in the Arctic." Cold in the north! Yeah, seriously, we really have nothing to complain about, we are truly blessed that nature has done us good things."

"But," Nicholl asked, "what's the temperature outside?" "Precisely the temperature of interstellar space," answered Barbicane. "Because we were bathed in the sun before," continued Michel Ardan, "we couldn't test the temperature. Isn't it time for such a test?" "Yes, now is the time," replied Barbicane, "or we would never have had the chance, since our present position enables us to assess the temperature of space and see whether Fourier's or Poona's calculations are correct." "It's always cold anyway!" replied Michelle. "You see, the moisture inside has gathered on the glass of the porthole. If the temperature continues to drop, it won't be long before the water vapor we exhale will fall like snowflakes."

"We have a thermometer ready," said Barbicane. It is conceivable that an ordinary thermometer cannot stand the test of this environment.Because the mercury in the glass ball cannot flow when it reaches minus 42 degrees Celsius.However, Barbicane also has a liquid flow thermometer of the Valferdan type, which has a particularly low minimum temperature. Before starting the test, they compared the instrument with an ordinary thermometer, and the Barbicane was now at work. "How do we test?" Nicholl asked. "It doesn't get any easier," replied Michel Ardan, who was never at a loss. "We have only to open the porthole very quickly and throw the thermometer out: it will follow the projectile obediently, and a quarter of an hour later we will bring it in again..."

"By hand?" asked Barbicane. "Handled," Michelle replied. "Very well, my friend, you must not risk it," said Barbicane. "Because, when you retracted your hand, it was frozen like a piece of wood by the terrible cold outside, and changed its original shape." "real! " "You will experience a terrible pain, as if you have been scalded by a white-hot iron, because the sudden flow of heat out of our muscles or in will produce the same feeling. Besides, I'm not sure that what we throw out of the projectile will follow us." "Why?" said Nicholl.

"Because, if we pass through the atmosphere, no matter how low its density, these objects will be left behind. Also, the darkness outside makes it impossible for us to verify that they are still floating around us. Therefore, we will tether A string so that we don't lose our thermometer, and it's easy to get it back at the same time." Barbicane's idea was adopted.Nicholl threw the thermometer attached to a short cord through the porthole which opened quickly, so that it could easily be drawn back.Although the porthole was only opened a crack, and only for a second, the biting cold had already poured into the interior of the projectile.

"Damn it!" exclaimed Michel Ardan, "it's so cold it could freeze a white bear!" Barbicane waited for half an hour, far exceeding the time required for the thermometer to drop to the space temperature.Then he quickly put the thermometer back. Barbicane counted the amount of alcohol that had flowed into the glass ball, and said: "Minus one hundred and forty degrees Celsius!" Mr. Purna's objection to Fourier is indeed justified.This is the terrible temperature of interstellar space!After the celestial body in the dark night loses the heat accumulated by the sun for 14 consecutive days, the temperature on the lunar continent may also be two hours later. Has this distance increased or decreased?There are no markers to determine the direction and velocity of the projectile.Perhaps it will soon be far away from the lunar surface, flying out of darkness in a moment.Perhaps on the contrary, approaching the surface of the moon, it may soon hit a peak in the invisible hemisphere: thus ending its journey, but, of course, we three travelers will suffer in the end. .

This question aroused a debate, and Michel Ardan, who was good at explaining the problem, expressed his opinion: Under the gravitational force of the moon, the shell will eventually fall on the moon, just like a meteorite falling on the surface of the earth. "First of all, my friend," Barbicane replied, "not all meteorites can fall on the earth, but only a very small number of them. Therefore, even if we become meteorites, we may not necessarily be able to fall on the earth." to the surface of the moon." "But what if we were fairly close to the lunar surface?" Michel replied.

"You are mistaken," retorted Barbicane. "Have you not seen thousands of meteors flash across the sky at certain seasons?" "Of course I have." "Well, these meteors, or rather small objects, can only shine when they graze the atmosphere and heat up from friction. However, they must pass at least sixteen leagues from the Earth to pass through It passes through the atmosphere, and even then, it rarely lands on the Earth. So does our projectile. It may come very close to the Moon, but it doesn't land on the Moon." "If this is the case," Michel asked, "I would like to ask, how can our floating vehicle survive in space?" "Only two hypotheses can now be seen," replied Barbicane, after a moment's consideration. "What hypothesis." "The projectile can choose between two mathematical curves, and it will follow this or that curve according to its own speed, but it is not yet possible to determine." "Yes," said Nicholl, "it will follow a parabola or a hyperbola." "In fact," replied Barbicane, "it may follow a parabola if it has a certain speed, or a hyperbola if it has a greater speed." "I love these two great nouns," exclaimed Michel Ardan. "We shall soon know what these two terms mean. Please tell me, what is a parabola?" "My friend," replied the captain, "a parabola is a conic curve which is produced by cutting a cone with a plane parallel to its generatrix." "Oh! alas!" said Michel with satisfaction. "It's not too far off from the projectile line of a mortar shell," Nicholl said. "Good. So, what about the hyperbola?" Michelle asked. "Michel, a hyperbola is also a quadratic curve, produced by a cone cut by a plane parallel to the axis of the cone, the ends of the curve stretching infinitely in both directions, never intersecting." "Is it possible?" Michel Ardan exclaimed in a serious tone, as if he had been told of a serious event. "Remember, then, Captain Nicholl, to my delight. Your definition of hyperbola--I almost 'punned' hyperbola--is better than the noun by which you are trying to define it. It's harder to understand." Nicholl and Barbicane ignored Michel Ardan's joke.They were engaged in a scientific debate about what curve the projectile followed, which was a matter of particular interest to them.One thinks it is a hyperbola, the other thinks it is a parabola, and the reasons they put forward are mixed with many X's.The language they used to present their arguments made Michel angry.The debate was fierce, with neither opponent willing to sacrifice their preferred curves at the expense of the other. The scientific debate went on and on until Michele got impatient and exchanged "Oops! Mister 'Cosines', please stop getting tangled up in parabola or hyperbola. What I want to know is what we should be most concerned with. We're going to run along one or the other of your curves , well, but where are they taking us?" "Nowhere," replied Nicholl. "Why, I can't go anywhere!" "Obviously," said Barbicane. "These are two unclosed curves that can be extended to infinity!" "Ah! You intellectuals!" cried Michel, "I should embrace you warmly! Alas! Since both curves are going to take us to infinite space, whether it is a parabola or a hyperbola, is it right? What do we have to do with each other!" Barbicane and Nicholl could not help laughing.They really "art for art's sake" just now!Nothing could be more futile than discussing such matters at such an inopportune moment.Unfortunately, whether traveling along a hyperbola or a parabola, the projectile will never touch the Earth or the Moon. So, where will become of our three intrepid travelers in the near future?If they didn't die of starvation or thirst, then in a few days, even if they didn't freeze to death, they would die of suffocation due to lack of air! At this time, although saving gas is so important, but the surrounding temperature is so low, they have to consume a certain amount of gas.Strictly speaking, even if they can do without light, they cannot do without temperature.Thanks to the heat generated by the Raytheon and Regnio devices, the internal temperature of the projectile was raised slightly, and at no cost, a tolerable temperature was maintained. Observation through portholes, however, is difficult.The moisture inside the shell condensed on the windowpane, which immediately froze.It must be wiped constantly to maintain the transparency of the window glass.Still, they were able to observe some of the most interesting phenomena on the Moon. In fact, if there is really air on this invisible lunar surface, wouldn't we be able to see many meteors tearing through the atmosphere?If the projectile passes through the atmosphere, can we not hear some sounds in the echo of the moon, for example, the roar of the storm, the roar of the avalanche, and the explosion of the active volcano?Also, if the volcanoes are ablaze, we can see strong lightning, these carefully researched facts can be very wonderful to help us understand the difficult question about the structure of the moon.Therefore, like astronomers, Barbicane and Nicholl stood in front of their portholes and observed with incomparable patience. But up to this point the lunar surface had remained silent and dark, answering nothing to the many questions posed by these ardent scholars. All of this leads Michelle to a plausible conclusion: "If one day we start this kind of travel again, we must choose to start during the new moon period." "Of course," replied Nicholl, "it will be more advantageous for us. I admit that although we cannot see the moon submerged in the sun's light along the way, we can see the round earth on the contrary. Besides, If we were to orbit the Moon under the influence of gravity as we do now, we would at least have the benefit of being able to see the sunlit surface of the invisible Moon!" "Well said, Nicholl," said Michel Ardan, "what do you think, Barbicane?" "I think," replied the dignified chairman, "that if we resumed this kind of travel one day, we should still start at the same time and under the same conditions, assuming we have reached our destination. Does the sun shine Aren't the continents better than the land sunk into the night? Can't we find a better environment for our first settlement? Of course it should be. As for the invisible side of the moon, we still It can be seen. Therefore, we chose the full moon period as a matter of course. But we should get there, and in order to get there, we should not go higher than the original line." "Of course there is nothing to say," said Michel Ardan, "but even so, we have missed a good opportunity to observe the far side of the moon! Regarding the moons of the planets, are the inhabitants of other planets more inhabited than those on the earth?" Are the scholars more advanced?" To this question of Michel Ardanti, we can easily answer him: yes, with regard to other moons, it is much easier to study them due to their close proximity to their planets.If there are inhabitants on Saturn, Jupiter, and Uranus, they can establish contact with their satellites relatively easily. The distances of the four satellites orbiting Jupiter are 108,260 leagues, 172,000 Two hundred, two hundred and seventy-four thousand, seven hundred, and four hundred and eighty thousand and one thirty.However, these four distances are calculated from the center of the planet, and if we subtract Jupiter's radius of 17,000 to 18,000 fares, we see that the first moon is farther away from the surface of Jupiter than the moon is. The surface of the earth is even closer.Of the eight moons of Saturn, four are still less distant: Diana at 84,600 leagues, Thetis at 62,966 leagues, and Unselade. Forty-eight thousand one hundred and ninety-one leagues, and finally the average distance of the moons of Mismas was only thirty-four thousand five hundred leagues.Of the eight moons of Uranus, the first of which is Ariel, lies only 51,520 leagues from the planet. It would, therefore, be much less difficult if, on these three celestial bodies, experiments similar to those of the President of Barbicane were carried out.If the inhabitants of these three celestial bodies also undertake such ventures, they may be able to recognize the structure of the other side of the moon that they never see from the planet.But if they never leave their planet, they are no more advanced than astronomers on Earth. At this moment, the trajectory of the shell in the darkness cannot be calculated, because there are no bearing markers.Has its direction been changed by the influence of the moon's attraction, or by the action of a celestial body unknown to us?Barbicane was not sure.But the relative position of the vehicle had now changed, as Barbican had seen at four o'clock in the morning. The change is that the base of the projectile has turned towards the lunar surface and remains vertical.This change is caused by the gravitational pull of the moon, that is to say, by gravity.The heaviest part of the shell turned toward the invisible lunar surface, as if it were about to land on the moon. So, will it land?Are our three travelers at last able to reach the destination they so desired?cant.Barbicane's observations of an unexplained azimuth showed that his projectile was not approaching the moon, but following a curve that was almost one of the concentric circles of the moon. This azimuth mark is a bright light that Nicholl suddenly found on the edge of the moon in the dark night.We should not confuse this bearing with a star.It was a reddish white spot of increasing size, indisputable proof that the projectile was heading in such a direction that it would not have been possible under normal circumstances to fall on the lunar surface. "Volcano! It's an active volcano! The moon is still spewing fire. So the world isn't completely extinguished." "Yes! It is a jet of subterranean fire," answered Barbicane, who was studying the phenomenon carefully with his telescope.If it's not a volcano, what is it?" "Then, since it can continue to burn, there must be an air click," Michelle said.Adam said. "Therefore, enveloping this part of the Moon, there must be an atmosphere "Possibly," answered Barbicane, "but not necessarily so. A volcano, by the decomposition of a certain substance, supplies itself with oxygen, and is capable of throwing its flames into a vacuum. I even feel that, from the intensity and brightness of its burning, It seems to be caused by some matter burning violently in pure oxygen, so let's not be too quick to say that there is air on the moon." The location of the volcano is approximately at the forty-fifth degree south latitude on the invisible lunar surface.But, much to Barbicane's dismay, the trajectory of the projectile took it farther and farther from the vent, so that the nature of the ejecta could not be determined.Half an hour later, the luminous point disappeared beneath the dark horizon.Regardless, being able to see this phenomenon is still a big deal in lunar science.It proves that the heat inside the celestial body has not completely disappeared. Where there is heat, who can prove that the plant kingdom, even the animal kingdom, is not still fighting against the destructive power of nature until now?Scientists on Earth cannot but acknowledge the existence of this erupting volcano, which no doubt must bring favorable arguments to such a momentous question as the habitability of the Moon. Barbicane allowed himself to be lost in thought.Indulging in fantasies about the mysterious fate of the lunar world, he almost forgot where he was.He was trying to relate one by one the facts he had observed hitherto, when suddenly an unexpected event called him to reality. This accident is not only a cosmic phenomenon, but also a danger with unimaginable consequences. Suddenly, the black monstrous thing in the infinite darkness of etheric space disappeared, and in its place was a moon, a white-hot moon, especially since it emerged suddenly from the infinite darkness of the sky, its The light became more and more unbearable.This round orb illuminated the interior of the projectile.Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michel Ardan were suddenly bathed in white light, and their figures, pale, livid, Green and full, like ghosts. "Damn!" exclaimed Michel Ardan, "how ugly we have become! How has this odious celestial body returned?" "It is a bolide," replied Barbicane. "Can bolides burn in a vacuum?" "were able." The flaming sphere is indeed a bolide.Barbicane was not mistaken.Generally speaking, when observing meteors from the earth, their brightness is much smaller than that of the moon, but here, in the dark ether space, they are radiant.These celestial bodies that travel through space possess materials that allow them to burn to white heat.This intense combustion requires no surrounding air.The same is true in fact, although some bolides pass through the atmosphere two or three leagues above the earth, but most fireballs do the opposite. Their orbits pass through the earth so high that the atmosphere cannot be stretched at all. get there.Bolides like this one appeared on October 26, 1844, 128 leagues from the earth, and on August 15, 1841, one hundred and twenty-eight leagues from the earth. Eighty-two leagues.Some meteors have a diameter of three to four kilometers and a speed of up to seventy-five kilometers per second, but their direction of motion is just opposite to that of the earth. Here, this meteor, which suddenly appeared out of the darkness at a height of at least a hundred leagues, had, according to Barbicane's estimation, about two kilometers in diameter.It was speeding along at about two kilometers per second, or thirty leagues per minute.It blocked the projectile's path, and it was probably a few minutes before they would meet.It flew closer and closer, and its volume became larger and larger, reaching an astonishing level. Readers, if you can, imagine for yourselves the situation of our three travelers.It is indescribable.Although they are usually courageous, calm, and fearless in the face of danger, they were so frightened that they dared not move, their limbs trembled, and they didn't know what to do.The projectile, which they could not control, rushed straight towards this huge, flaming monster, hotter than the flames of the open reverberatory furnace mouth, and it seemed that they were about to rush into the sea of ​​​​fire. Barbicane seized the hands of his two companions, and the three squinted at the asteroid which was burning to heat him.If their thinking ability was not destroyed, and their brains could still function normally in panic, then they would definitely think that they were really doomed this time! The sudden appearance of this bolide was only a matter of two minutes, but it was like two heart-wrenching centuries!Just as the projectile was about to strike, the fireball suddenly exploded like a bomb.But there was no sound, because the sound is just the vibration of the air, and here is a vacuum, so naturally there is no sound. Nicholl suddenly yelled, and he and his two companions rushed towards the porthole glass.What a beautiful view!What kind of brush can paint such a scene, and what kind of palette can bring out such rich colors? Like a crater blazing in all directions, like a fire field bursting into the sky.Many luminous fragments illuminate the sky, leaving thousands of patterns.Thousands of luminous bodies of different sizes and colors are entangled together.This is a radiant body of red, orange, yellow, green, and gray colors, like a circle of colorful fireworks.The original terrifying huge celestial body has now completely turned into fragments flying in all directions. They are also like asteroids, some are like flaming swords, some are wrapped in white and flat clouds, and some Trails of bright cosmic dust trail behind. These incandescent fragments intersected and collided with each other, and then divided into smaller fragments that flew in all directions, and some even touched the projectile.The glass of the port port window was hit violently, and a streak was cracked.The projectile seemed to be floating in the hail of bullets, and as long as it hit the smallest one, the shell would be destroyed in an instant. The etheric space is bright, and the light is getting more and more intense, because there are scattered small bodies of this kind everywhere on all sides.For a moment the sky was so bright that Michel dragged Barbicane and Nicholl to his porthole and said aloud: "The invisible moon is finally visible!" Thus for a few seconds the three men caught a glimpse through this luminous medium of this mysterious moon disk which the human eye first saw. What did they see at this inestimable distance?They saw several narrow strips on the surface of the moon, where real clouds accumulated in the thin atmosphere. Through the clouds, they saw not only many high mountains, but also many undulating protrusions, craters, There are volcanoes with huge mouths and strange shapes, which are exactly the same as the visible moon disk.Then there was the endless clearing, and here was no longer a barren plain, but a real sea and a vast ocean, which reflected like a mirror all these magical lights of the sky.Finally, they also saw many black spots on the lunar continent, as if seen under the rapid lightning, the endless forests... Is it an illusion, an optical error, or a deceptive optical phenomenon?Can they be scientifically certain of what they have observed so superficially?Would they dare to take a casual glance at the invisible lunar disk and express their opinions on the habitability of the moon? At this moment, the lightning-like brightness in the sky gradually weakened;The etheric space finally returned to its original darkness; the retired stars shone in the sky again, and the looming moon disk sank back into the unfathomable night.