Round the Moon · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Round the Moon by Jules Verne.
Chapter 1
Preliminary Chapter
This chapter recaps the first part of the narrative, detailing the Gun Club's ambitious plan to send a projectile to the moon, the construction of the Columbiad, and the departure of travellers Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michel Ardan. It then describes the aftermath: atmospheric disturbance from the launch obscured the moon, delaying observation. J. T. Maston and J. Belfast at Long's Peak eventually reported sighting the projectile, but their telegram contained errors—the projectile had not reached the moon but had become a satellite. The chapter sets up the travellers' fate and the dramatic account to follow.
Chapter 2
From 10:20 p.m. to 10:47 p.m.
The three travelers—Michel Ardan, Impey Barbicane, and Captain Nicholl—enter the projectile and make final preparations for their launch to the Moon. They discuss the remaining minutes before the Columbiad is fired, adjust their positions to withstand the shock, and share a solemn moment before the countdown ends. The chapter concludes with the projectile being launched into space.
Chapter 3
The First Half-Hour
In the first half-hour of their journey, the three travelers encounter a near-collision with an asteroid, which Barbicane identifies as a second, little-known satellite of Earth. They observe the moon with unprecedented clarity and look back at Earth, now a slender crescent. Barbicane suddenly wakes his companions to reveal why they did not hear the Columbiad's detonation: their projectile was traveling faster than sound.
Chapter 4
III: Taking Possession
The three travelers settle into life aboard the projectile, enjoying a meal and discussing their unique status as the sole inhabitants of this microcosm. They care for their dogs, Diana and Satellite, after the shock of launch, and conduct an inspection of their instruments and supplies. The chapter highlights their growing confidence and the wonder of observing Earth and the Moon from space.
Chapter 5
A Little Algebra
Barbicane explains the algebraic formula used to calculate the projectile's initial velocity for the lunar journey, with Nicholl's assistance and Michel Ardan's humorous bewilderment. The chapter also describes the travelers' peaceful sleep and their awakening to a cock crowing, which Michel Ardan claims as a Gallic joke.
Chapter 6
The Temperature of Space
The travelers discover their initial velocity was miscalculated by the Cambridge Observatory, but realize they are still ascending and not falling back to Earth. They discuss the nature of space, ether, and the possibility of lunar inhabitants. After burying the dog Satellite by ejecting him through a porthole, they regain confidence and plan their journey.
Chapter 7
Questions and Answers
On December 4th, the travelers awaken over halfway through their journey. They engage in wide-ranging scientific discussions about the nature of the moon, the consequences of a sudden stop, the transformation of motion into heat, lunar eclipses, and the possibility of the moon being an ancient comet. Michel Ardan spots a floating object outside the projectile, which they eventually identify as the remains of Satellite, the dog.
Chapter 8
A Moment of Intoxication
As the projectile approaches the moon, the three travelers experience a strange intoxication, marked by heightened emotions and rapid conversation. They debate the possibility of returning to Earth, discuss communication via lunar meteors, and imagine future visits from Gun Club members. Their excitement grows as they observe the moon's surface, though Barbicane privately worries about a slight trajectory deviation. The chapter captures their euphoric yet anxious state as they near their destination.
Chapter 9
At Seventy-Eight Thousand One Hundred and Fourteen Leagues
The travelers experience weightlessness as they cross the neutral point of equal gravitational attraction between Earth and the Moon. They float freely, observe objects suspended in mid-air, and engage in a philosophical discussion about the implications of weightlessness and the varying gravity on different celestial bodies. Barbicane explains the physics of their situation, and they celebrate crossing the neutral line before gradually beginning their fall toward the Moon.
Chapter 10
The Consequences of Deviation
Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michel Ardan realize their projectile has deviated from its course toward the moon. Barbicane becomes obsessed with discovering the cause, eventually attributing it to the gravitational influence of a passing asteroid. Despite the deviation, the projectile continues to draw nearer to the moon, though it is clear they will not land. The trio prepares for a potential lunar fall by installing spring buffers and fusees to retard the shock, while Barbicane grows increasingly anxious about the unknown trajectory.
Chapter 11
X: The Observers of the Moon
The travelers, having realized their trajectory has been fatally altered by a chance asteroid, accept they will not land on the moon. Instead, they dedicate their remaining time to observing the lunar surface from a distance, using telescopes and selenographic maps to study its features, while grappling with their uncertain fate.
Chapter 12
Imagination and Reality
The travelers study a selenographic map of the Moon, contrasting its rugged, southern-hemisphere continents and vast, dry 'seas' with Earth's geography. Michel Ardan poetically interprets the lunar seas as a 'map of life' divided into masculine and feminine hemispheres, while Barbicane and Nicholl methodically measure and catalog the features, debating the Moon's habitability and composition.
Chapter 13
XII: Orographical Details
As the projectile travels over the northern hemisphere of the Moon, Barbicane, Ardan, and Nicholl conduct detailed astronomical observations. They study the Sea of Clouds, the mountain Copernicus, and other lunar features, debating the nature of the lunar surface and the origin of the mysterious luminous rays. The chapter emphasizes their disciplined scientific work despite their uncertain fate.
Chapter 14
Lunar Landscapes
As the projectile approaches the moon, Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michel Ardan observe the lunar surface in detail, noting its varied colors, long crevices, and harsh contrasts caused by the absence of an atmosphere. They debate the possibility of lunar life and pass over the Sea of Rains, Mounts La Condamine and Fontenelle, and the Black Lake Pluto, before crossing into the moon's shadow at the pole.
Chapter 15
A Night of Three Hundred and Fifty-Four Hours and a Half
The projectile grazes the moon's North Pole and plunges into absolute darkness, entering the lunar night that lasts 354 hours. The travelers, unable to see each other or the moon, must use their gas for light. Barbicane explains the causes and consequences of the long night, including the differences between the visible and invisible hemispheres of the moon. The crew struggles with the cold and the inability to observe the lunar surface, while Barbicane worries about the projectile's trajectory and the mysterious force preventing it from falling onto the moon.
Chapter 16
Hyperbola or Parabola
Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michel Ardan debate the trajectory of their projectile, discussing whether it will follow a parabolic or hyperbolic curve, which would carry them indefinitely into space. Their scientific argument is interrupted by the sudden appearance of a massive bolis (fireball) that nearly destroys them, bursting into a spectacular shower of fragments. The chapter ends with the travelers realizing they will never strike the moon or Earth, facing an uncertain fate in the void.
Chapter 17
XVI: The Southern Hemisphere
The projectile narrowly escapes a dangerous asteroid and continues its orbit around the moon. The travelers observe the southern lunar mountains and realize their trajectory has become an elliptical orbit, making them a permanent satellite of the moon. Barbicane, Nicholl, and Ardan discuss their fate and the heights of lunar mountains, comparing them to terrestrial peaks.
Chapter 18
XVII: Tycho
The projectile passes the South Pole and reenters sunlight, allowing the travelers to observe the southern lunar region in detail. They examine the circular mountains Newton, Moret, Blancanus, Clavius, and Tycho, discussing their immense size and volcanic origins. Barbicane identifies snow on the Doerfel and Leibnitz mountains, arguing it proves the existence of water and air on the moon. Michel Ardan imagines seeing ruins of a Selenite city, but his companions remain skeptical. The chapter emphasizes the moon's unique formation, independent of external forces, and its desolate, lifeless landscape.
Chapter 19
Grave Questions
Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michel Ardan debate the habitability of the moon, concluding it is currently uninhabitable but was likely inhabited in the past before its atmosphere disappeared. They also discuss the origin of Tycho's luminous rays, attributing them to contraction of the lunar crust during cooling.
Chapter 20
A Struggle with the Impossible
Barbicane, Nicholl, and Michel Ardan realize their projectile is moving away from the moon on an elliptical orbit, heading back toward Earth. They debate whether they can modify their motion, ultimately deciding to use rockets at the neutral point of gravitational attraction to force a fall onto the lunar surface. After waiting, they ignite the rockets at the calculated moment, but the explosion fails to alter their trajectory sufficiently; they discover they are falling back toward Earth at a tremendous speed, facing certain destruction. Barbicane accepts their fate with religious resignation.
Chapter 21
XX: The Soundings of the Susquehanna
Aboard the corvette Susquehanna, Captain Blomsberry and Lieutenant Bronsfield oversee deep-sea soundings for a submarine cable project. As the crew discusses the fate of Barbicane, Nicholl, and Ardan, a young midshipman proposes using a giant alphabet visible through the Long's Peak telescope to communicate with the moon. Later, a fiery bolide crashes into the ship's bowsprit, and the midshipman exclaims that the travellers have returned.
Chapter 22
J. T. Maston Called In
The chapter details the aftermath of the projectile's fall into the Pacific Ocean, as observed by the crew of the Susquehanna. Captain Blomsberry sends telegrams to the Gun Club and others, sparking debate about the fate of the travelers. Meanwhile, J. T. Maston and J. Belfast, observing from Long's Peak, argue over the projectile's visibility until a telegram reveals its fall, prompting Maston to rush to San Francisco to organize a recovery mission.
Chapter 23
Picked Up
The Susquehanna crew, led by J. T. Maston and Captain Blomsberry, searches the ocean for the missing projectile. After days of fruitless diving, they are about to abandon hope when a floating buoy is spotted—it is the projectile, which floats due to its specific lightness. The crew rescues the travelers, who are found alive and playing dominoes.
Chapter 24
The End
The three travelers return to Earth to a hero's welcome, embarking on a grand tour of the United States by train, celebrated by the entire nation. Their observations of the Moon are published, and the Gun Club organizes a nationwide banquet in their honor. The chapter concludes with the formation of the National Company for Interstellar Communication, a joint-stock company aimed at future space travel.
