The mooncussers

The movement of the moon in space had been well documented by the second half of the nineteenth century In this monograph which first appeared in 1874 James Nasmyth 1808 90 and James Carpenter 1840 99 pay closer attention to the lunar surface notably illustrating their work with photographs of accurate plaster models At this time many questions about the moon s properties were still open Could the moon support life Did it have an atmosphere How had its craters been formed Marshalling the latest available evidence Nasmyth and Carpenter provide their answers in a text accompanied by explanatory diagrams Also included are theories on planetary formation a discussion of lunar volcanism and a vivid imagining of a day on the moon s surface describing everything from low lunar gravity to the sudden monthly sunrise The work remains an instructive resource reflecting the state of contemporary astronomical knowledge The Moon Considered as a Planet a World and a Satellite Cambridge Library CollectionAstronomy 1808 1890