Publisher's Synopsis
In the early 1600s, the first telescopes were being used by astronomers such as Thomas Harriot in England and Galileo Galilei in Italy. These instruments were often aimed at the Moon. By mid-century, lunar cartographers debated if the Moon's dark spots were seas, if it had an atmosphere, and if life existed there. Already, the scientific discoveries and debates were inspiring fiction writers to imagine what life on the Moon might be like.Telescopes improved as the decades advanced. Nonetheless, in 1780, eminent astronomer William Herschel reported on his study of the Moon, referring to "the great probability, not to say almost absolute certainty, of her being inhabited." A new wave of science-fiction writers launched readers to the Earth's satellite and introduced them to its indigenous people. However, during the 1800s, evidence gained from even bigger and better telescopes finally convinced most scientists that the Moon was lifeless - and as telescopic technology waxed, fiction about life on the Moon waned. Featuring works by Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, and other visionaries, Imagining Life on the Moon During the Rise of the Telescope brings this phase of science into clearer focus.
