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The Romance of the Moon
AtthecloseoftheeighteenthcenturyHerschel,armedwithapowerfultelescope,considerablyreducedtheprecedingmeasurements.Heassignedaheightof11,400feettothemaximumelevations,andreducedthemeanofthedifferentaltitudestolittlemorethan2,400feet.ButHerschel’scalculationswereintheirturncorrectedbytheobservationsofHalley,Nasmyth,Bianchini,Gruithuysen,andothers;butitwasreservedforthelaborsofBoeerandMaedlerfinallytosolvethequestion.Theysucceededinmeasuring1,905differentelevations,ofwhichsixexceed15,000feet,andtwenty-twoexceed14,400feet.Thehighestsummitofalltowerstoaheightof22,606feetabovethesurfaceofthelunardisc.Atthesameperiodtheexaminationofthemoonwascompleted.Sheappearedcompletelyriddledwithcraters,andheressentiallyvolcaniccharacterwasapparentateachobservation.Bytheabsenceofrefractionintheraysoftheplanetsoccultedbyherweconcludethatsheisabsolutelydevoidofanatmosphere.Theabsenceofairentailstheabsenceofwater.Itbecame,therefore,manifestthattheSelenites,tosupportlifeundersuchconditions,mustpossessaspecialorganizationoftheirown,mustdifferremarkablyfromtheinhabitantsoftheearth.
