Round the Moon · Chapter
XVI: The Southern Hemisphere explained
The projectile narrowly escapes a dangerous asteroid and continues its orbit around the moon.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Scientific Exploration and Discovery
The travelers use precise observation and measurement to identify lunar mountains and deduce their orbital mechanics, showcasing the scientific method in action.
The Sublime and the Unknown
The encounter with the asteroid and the realization of becoming a permanent satellite evoke awe and the vast, unpredictable nature of space.
Life, Death, and Extinction
Barbicane reflects on their inevitable death from lack of air, and the projectile becoming an 'extinct mass' like inert asteroids, highlighting the fragility of life.
Characters to notice
- Impey Barbicane
Analyzes the projectile's trajectory, deducing it has become an elliptical orbit around the moon, and contemplates their grim fate.
- Captain Nicholl
Uses his telescope to spot brilliant points on the southern lunar border, leading to the discovery of the sun illuminating the mountains.
- Michel Ardan
Lightheartedly remarks on their situation, calling themselves a 'moon of the moon' and maintaining his amiable demeanor despite the danger.
Key passages
“The projectile had just escaped a terrible danger, a danger quite unforeseen. Who would have imagined such a meeting of asteroids?”
The travelers narrowly avoided a catastrophic collision with an asteroid, a peril they had never anticipated.
Highlights the role of chance and the unpredictable dangers of space travel.
“Instead of being lost in the interplanetary spaces it is possible that the projectile will describe an elliptical orbit round the moon.”
Barbicane suggests that rather than drifting away, the projectile might enter a stable elliptical orbit around the moon.
Key moment where the trajectory is reinterpreted as a closed curve, leading to their new status as a lunar satellite.
“Moon of the moon, exclaimed Michel Ardan.”
Michel Ardan cheerfully calls their projectile a 'moon of the moon,' embracing their unusual fate.
Shows Ardan's characteristic humor in the face of dire circumstances.