Round the Moon · Chapter
Grave Questions explained
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.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Life, Death, and Extinction
The chapter centers on whether the moon is or was inhabited, concluding that life once existed but is now extinct due to atmospheric loss and cooling.
The Sublime and the Unknown
The travelers marvel at Tycho's radiant rays and the moon's desolate beauty, grappling with mysteries beyond current scientific explanation.
Scientific Exploration and Discovery
Barbicane and his companions apply observational data and reasoning to answer fundamental questions about lunar history and habitability.
Characters to notice
- Impey Barbicane
Leads the scientific discussion, argues the moon is not currently habitable but was once inhabited, and explains the cooling theory.
- Captain Nicholl
Engages in the debate, asks probing questions about habitability for differently organized beings and the moon's rotation.
- Michel Ardan
Provides imaginative hypotheses, jokes about comets causing Tycho's rays, and expresses relief at the earth's long cooling timeline.
Key passages
“In her actual state, with her certainly very slight atmosphere, her seas mostly dried up, her insufficient water, her restricted vegetation, her abrupt alternations of heat and cold, her nights and days 354 hours long, the moon does not appear habitable to me”
Barbicane argues that the moon's thin atmosphere, dry seas, scarce water, limited plant life, extreme temperature swings, and long day-night cycle make it uninhabitable.
Barbicane's core argument against current lunar habitability.
“I believe, I even affirm, that the moon has been inhabited by a human race organised like ours, that it has produced animals anatomically formed like terrestrial animals; but I add that these races, human or animal, have had their day, and are forever extinct.”
Barbicane asserts that the moon once supported human-like and animal life, but those species are now completely extinct.
Barbicane's conclusion on past lunar habitation.
“Because the regularity of these luminous lines, and the violence necessary to send them to such a distance, are inexplicable.”
Barbicane rejects the idea that Tycho's rays are lava flows or erratic blocks, citing their regularity and the immense force required.
Barbicane's critique of existing explanations for Tycho's rays.