THE MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS OF THE MOON, AND THE SPECTACLES OF THE SUN
Too Long; Didn't Read
... the Moon, whose orb
The Tuscan artist views through optic glass
At evening from the top of Fesolé,
Or in Valdarno, to descry new lands
,Rivers or mountains in her spotty globe."—Paradise Lost.
The moon is probably the most interesting of all telescopic objects. This arises from its comparative nearness to the earth. A telescope magnifying 1,000 diameters brings the moon within an apparent distance of less than 240 miles. If telescopes are ever made with a magnifying power of 10,000 diameters, then, provided that atmospheric difficulties can be overcome, we shall see the moon as if it were only about twenty miles off, and a sensitive astronomer might be imagined to feel a little hesitation about gazing so closely at the moon—as if he were peering into a neighbor world's window.