Did it have an atmosphere?
How did its craters form?
So how did James Nasmyth manage to take these photos?
Son of a painter, Nasmyth showed an extraordinary mechanical inclination from a very young age.
Nasmyth settled down near Penshurst, Kent, where he built his own20-inch reflecting telescope.
This allowed the telescope to be rotated at whatever angle without having to constantly move the eye piece.
Most modern telescopes today use this configuration.
Although the science is incorrect, the images that accompanied the book were astounding.
In recognition of their work, both James Nasmyth and James Carpenter were honored with craters named after them.
For those interested in the book, a digital version is available forreading at archive.org.
[h/tPublic Doman Review]
