STARRY OBSERVATIONS

Indeed, not only are the boundaries between shadows and light on the Moon perceived to be uneven and winding, but—what causes even greater wonder—many bright peaks appear within the dark part of the Moon, entirely divided and torn away from the illuminated region. They are separated from it by a not insignificant distance. Little by little, after some time has passed, these peaks increase in size and brightness; after a second or third hour, they are joined to the rest of the bright part, which has now grown larger. Meanwhile, others and still others, as if sprouting up here and there, are lit up within the dark part, grow, and are finally connected to that same luminous surface as it extends further. The same figure referring to the diagrams in the original printed edition shows us an example of this. Is it not just so on Earth before the rising of the Sun, while shadow still occupies the plains, that the peaks of the highest mountains are illuminated by the Solar rays? Does the light not spread after a short time while the middle and larger parts of those same mountains are illuminated; and finally, when the Sun has risen, do the illuminations of the plains and hills not join together? However, the distinctions of such heights and hollows on the Moon seem to far surpass terrestrial ruggedness in extent, as we shall demonstrate below. Meanwhile, I shall by no means wrap in silence something worthy of notice observed by me while the Moon was hastening toward its first quarter quadrature: the phase where the Moon is half-illuminated, the image of which is presented in the drawing placed above. For a huge dark gulf enters into the luminous part, located toward the lower horn; when I had observed this gulf for a long time and seen it entirely dark, finally after nearly two hours, a certain bright peak began to rise a little below the middle of the cavity. This peak, growing little by little, displayed a triangular shape and was still entirely torn away and separated from the luminous face; soon, three other bright points m original: "quidem" appeared around it...