The Starry Messenger

an abundance of small spots, entirely separated from the dark part, sprinkles almost the entire region already bathed in the light of the Sun original: "Solis lumine" in every direction, except at least for that part which is occupied by the large and ancient spots. We have noted, moreover, that the aforementioned small spots always and all agree in this: that they have a blackened part facing the location of the Sun; on the opposite side from the Sun, however, they are crowned with brighter boundaries, like glowing mountain ridges. Now, we have a completely similar appearance on Earth around sunrise, when we behold the valleys not yet bathed in light, while the mountains surrounding them on the side opposite the Sun are already shining with splendor. And just as the shadows of earthly cavities are diminished as the Sun seeks higher elevations, so too these Lunar spots original: "Lunares maculae" lose their darkness as the luminous part increases.

[Illustration: A copperplate engraving depicting the surface of the moon as seen through a telescope, highlighting the terminator line where light meets shadow and revealing a rugged, mountainous landscape with craters.]