Chapter 16 Chapter 15 Hyperbola or Parabola

We may be surprised to see Barbicane and his companions so indifferent to the future that this metallic prison, sent into etheric infinity, will bring them.They didn't ask where they were going. On the contrary, they spent all their time experimenting as if they were quietly in their own studio. We may reply that those who have been so hard-trained naturally rise above these troubles, and do not worry about such trifles.Besides caring about their future fate, they have many other things to do. In truth, they also had no control over their projectile, neither controlling its speed nor changing its direction.A sailor can change the course of the ship at will, and a balloonist can control the height of the balloon.They, on the contrary, have nothing to do with their means of transport.Since there is nothing to do, we have to resign ourselves to fate, just as the navigator said, drifting with the current.

Where were they at eight o'clock in the morning on the day called December 6th on Earth?Certainly they must have been so near the moon, so near even, that the moon seemed to be an endless black curtain stretched across the sky.As for the real distance between them and the moon, we can't estimate it yet.Projectiles, under the control of unexplained forces, have passed the North Pole of the Earth's satellite at an altitude of at least fifty kilometers.But, two hours after it entered the shadow of the cone, did the distance increase or decrease?There are no markers to determine the direction and velocity of the projectile.Perhaps it will soon be far away from the lunar surface, flying out of darkness in a moment.Perhaps on the contrary, approaching the surface of the moon, it may soon hit a peak in the invisible hemisphere and thus end its journey, but of course we three travelers will suffer in the end.

This question has caused a debate, and Michelle, who is good at explaining the problem.Adam expressed his opinion: Under the action of the moon's gravity, the shell will eventually fall on the moon, just like a meteorite falling on the surface of the earth. First of all, my partner, Barbicane replied that not all meteorites can fall on the earth, but only a very small number of them.Therefore, even if we become meteorites, we may not necessarily be able to reach the surface of the moon. But what if we were fairly close to the lunar surface?Michelle replied. You are wrong, retorted Barbicane, have you not seen thousands of meteors flash across the sky during certain seasons?

Of course I have. Well, these meteors, or rather these small objects, can only shine when they graze the atmosphere and heat up due to friction.However, they must pass at least sixteen leagues from Earth to pass through the atmosphere, and even then, they rarely land on Earth.The same is true of our projectiles.It may be very close to the moon, but it will not fall on the moon. If this is the case, Michel asked, I would like to ask, how can our floating vehicle survive in space? Now only two hypotheses could be seen, and Barbicane thought for a moment to answer. What assumptions. The projectile can choose between two mathematical curves, and it will follow this or that curve according to its own speed, but it is not yet possible to determine.

Yes, says Nicholl, it will follow a parabola or a hyperbola. In fact, Barbicane replied, it could follow a parabola if it had a certain speed, or a hyperbola if it had a greater speed. I like these two great terms, Michelle.Adam said loudly.We will soon know what these two nouns mean.Please tell me, what is a parabola? My friend, the captain replied, that a parabola is a conic curve which is produced when a plane parallel to the axis of the cone cuts the cone. oh!oh!Michelle said in a satisfied tone. Not too far from the projectile line of a mortar shell, Nicholl said. very good.So, what about hyperbolas?Michelle asked.

Michel, a hyperbola is also a quadratic curve, produced by cutting a cone with a plane parallel to the axis of the cone, the ends of the curve stretch infinitely in both directions, never intersecting. Is this possible?Michelle.Ardan spoke aloud in a serious tone as if he had heard someone tell him a serious incident.Remember, then, Captain Nicholl, that pleases me.Your definition of hyperbola I almost made a pun on hyperbola is more difficult to understand than the noun you are trying to define it. Nicholl and Barbicane ignored Michel.Adam's joke.They were engaged in a scientific debate about what curve the projectile followed, which was a matter of particular interest to them.One thinks it is a hyperbola, and the other thinks it is a parabola. The reasons they put forward are mixed with many X's.The language they used to present their arguments made Michel angry.The debate was fierce, with neither opponent willing to sacrifice their preferred curves at the expense of the other.

The scientific debate went on and on until Michel grew impatient and said: oops!Two Mr. Cosines, please don't get entangled in parabola or hyperbola anymore. What I want to know is what we should care most about.We're going to run along one of your curves or another, fine, but where will they take us? Not going anywhere, Nicholl replied. Why, I can't go anywhere! Obviously, said Barbicane.These are two unclosed curves that can be extended to infinity! ah!You learned men!Michelle exclaimed, I should really hug you all!well!Since both curves will take us to infinite space, what does it matter to us whether it is a parabola or a hyperbola!

Barbicane and Nicholl could not help laughing.They really did art for art's sake just now!Nothing could be more futile than discussing such matters at such an inopportune moment.Unfortunately, whether traveling along a hyperbola or a parabola, the projectile will never touch the Earth or the Moon. So, where will become of our three intrepid travelers in the near future?If they didn't die of starvation or thirst, then in a few days, even if they didn't freeze to death, they would die of suffocation due to lack of air! At this time, although saving gas is so important, but the surrounding temperature is so low, they have to consume a certain amount of gas.Strictly speaking, even if they can do without light, they cannot do without temperature.Thanks to the heat generated by the Raytheon and Regnio devices, the internal temperature of the projectile was raised slightly, and at no cost, a tolerable temperature was maintained.

Observation through portholes, however, is difficult.The moisture inside the shell condensed on the windowpane, which immediately froze.It must be wiped constantly to maintain the transparency of the window glass.Still, they were able to observe some of the most interesting phenomena on the Moon. In fact, if there is really air on this invisible lunar surface, wouldn't we be able to see many meteors tearing through the atmosphere?If the projectile passes through the atmosphere, can we not hear some sounds in the echo of the moon, for example, the roar of the storm, the roar of the avalanche, and the explosion of the active volcano?Also, if the volcanoes are ablaze, we can see strong lightning, these carefully researched facts can be very wonderful to help us understand the difficult question about the structure of the moon.Therefore, like astronomers, Barbicane and Nicholl stood in front of their portholes and observed with incomparable patience.

But up to this point the lunar surface had remained silent and dark, answering nothing to the many questions posed by these ardent scholars. All of this leads Michelle to a plausible conclusion: If one day we start this kind of travel again, we must choose to start during the new moon period. Of course, replied Nicholl, it would be better for us.I admit that although we cannot see the moon submerged in the sunlight along the way, on the contrary, we can see the round earth.Also, if we were to orbit the Moon under the pull of gravity as we do now, we would at least have the benefit of being able to see the sun-drenched surface of the invisible Moon!

Well said, Nicholl, Michelle.What do you think, said Ardan, Barbicane? I think, replied the dignified chairman, that if one day we resumed this kind of travel, we would still set out at the same time and under the same conditions, assuming we had reached our destination, wouldn't the sun-drenched continent not Is it better than the land sunk into night?Can't we find a better environment as our first settlement?Of course it should.As for the invisible side of the moon, we can still see it during our expeditions.Therefore, we choose the full moon period as a matter of course.But we should achieve our goal, and in order to achieve this goal, we should not deviate from the original line. Of course there is nothing to say, Michelle.But despite this, we still missed a good opportunity to observe the other side of the moon, Ardan said!With regard to the satellites of the planets, are the inhabitants of other planets more advanced than the scholars on Earth? For Michelle.We can easily answer Ardanti's question: Yes, as regards the other moons, it is much easier to study them because of their proximity to their planets.If there are inhabitants on Saturn, Jupiter, and Uranus, they can establish communication with their satellites relatively easily. The distances of the four moons orbiting Jupiter are 108,260 leagues, 172,000 Two hundred, two hundred and seventy-four thousand, seven hundred, and four hundred and eighty thousand and one thirty.However, these four distances are calculated from the center of the planet, and if we subtract Jupiter's radius of 17,000 to 18,000 fares, we see that the first moon is farther away from the surface of Jupiter than the moon is. The surface of the earth is even closer.Of the eight moons of Saturn, four are still farther apart: Diana at 84,600 leagues, Thetis at 62,966 leagues, Unselade The satellites are 48,191 leagues, and finally the average distance of the Mismas satellites is only 34,500 leagues.Of the eight moons of Uranus, the first of which is Ariel, lies only 51,520 leagues from the planet. It would, therefore, be much less difficult if, on these three celestial bodies, experiments similar to those of the President of Barbicane were carried out.If the inhabitants of these three celestial bodies also undertake this kind of adventure, they may be able to recognize the structure of the other side of the moon that they will never see on the planet (Note: Herschel has proved that the rotation and revolution period of these satellites are equal. Only the satellite orbit of Uranus is almost perpendicular to Uranus, and the rotation motion is retrograde. Original note).But if they never leave their planet, they are no more advanced than astronomers on Earth. At this moment, the trajectory of the shell in the darkness cannot be calculated, because there are no bearing markers.Has its direction been changed by the influence of the moon's attraction, or by the action of a celestial body unknown to us?Barbicane was not sure.But the relative position of the vehicle had now changed, as Barbican had seen at four o'clock in the morning. The change is that the base of the projectile has turned towards the lunar surface and remains vertical.This change is caused by the gravitational pull of the moon, that is to say, by gravity.The heaviest part of the shell turned towards the invisible lunar surface, as if it was about to land on the moon. So, will it land?Are our three travelers at last able to reach the destination they so desired?cant.Barbicane's observations of an unexplained azimuth showed that his projectile was not approaching the moon, but following a curve that was almost one of the concentric circles of the moon. This azimuth mark is a bright light that Nicholl suddenly found on the edge of the moon in the dark night.We should not confuse this bearing with a star.It was a reddish white spot of increasing size, indisputable proof that the projectile was heading in such a direction that it would not have been possible under normal circumstances to fall on the lunar surface. volcano!This is an active volcano!The moon is still spewing underground fire.So the world hasn't completely extinguished yet. Yes!This is a jet of subterranean fire, answered Barbicane, who was studying the phenomenon carefully with his telescope.If not a volcano, then what is it? Well, since it can continue to burn, there must be air, Michelle.Adam said.Therefore, there must be an atmosphere covering this part of the Moon. Possibly, answered Barbicane, but not necessarily so.Volcanoes, by the decomposition of certain substances, supply themselves with oxygen, and are thus capable of throwing flames into a vacuum.I even feel that judging from its burning intensity and brightness, it seems to be caused by some substances burning violently in pure oxygen, so we should not rush to confirm that there is air on the moon. The location of the volcano is approximately at the forty-fifth degree south latitude on the invisible lunar surface.But, much to Barbicane's dismay, the trajectory of the projectile took it farther and farther from the vent, so that the nature of the ejecta could not be determined.Half an hour later, the luminous point disappeared beneath the dark horizon.Regardless, being able to see this phenomenon is still a big deal in lunar science.It proves that the heat inside the celestial body has not completely disappeared. Where there is heat, who can prove that the plant kingdom, even the animal kingdom, is not still fighting against the destructive power of nature until now?Scientists on Earth cannot but acknowledge the existence of this erupting volcano, which no doubt must bring favorable arguments to such a momentous question as the habitability of the Moon. Barbicane allowed himself to be lost in thought.Indulging in fantasies about the mysterious fate of the lunar world, he almost forgot where he was.He was trying to relate one by one the facts he had observed hitherto, when suddenly an unexpected event called him to reality. This accident is not only a cosmic phenomenon, but also a danger with unimaginable consequences. Suddenly the black monstrous thing in the infinite darkness of etheric space disappeared, and in its place was a moon, a white-hot moon, especially since it suddenly emerged from the infinite darkness of the sky, its brightness increased It seems unbearable.This round orb illuminated the interior of the projectile.Barbican, Nicholl and Michel.Ah Dang was suddenly bathed in white light, and their images, as if illuminated by the dim light of alcohol mixed with salt by a physicist, were pale, livid, and green, like ghosts. hell!Michelle.cried Adam, how ugly we have become!What's going on with this nasty celestial body? It was a bolide, answered Barbicane. Can bolides burn in a vacuum? were able. The flaming sphere is indeed a bolide.Barbicane was not mistaken.Generally speaking, when observing meteors from the earth, their brightness is much smaller than that of the moon, but here, in the dark ether space, they are radiant.These space-traveling bodies possess materials that allow them to burn to a fever pitch.This intense combustion requires no surrounding air.The same is true in fact, although some bolides pass through the atmosphere two or three leagues above the earth, but most fireballs do the opposite. Their orbits pass through the earth so high that the atmosphere cannot be stretched at all. get there.Bolides like this one appeared on October 26, 1844, at a distance of 128 leagues from the earth, and on August 15, 1841, at a distance of 100 miles from the earth. Eighty-two leagues.Some meteors have a diameter of three to four kilometers, and their speed can reach 75 kilometers per second (Note: The average speed of the earth moving along the ecliptic is only 30 kilometers per second. Original note), but their direction of motion is exactly the same as that of the earth. on the contrary. Here, this meteor, which suddenly appeared out of the darkness at a height of at least a hundred leagues, had, according to Barbicane's estimation, about two kilometers in diameter.It was speeding along at about two kilometers per second, or thirty leagues per minute.It blocked the projectile's path, and it was probably a few minutes before they would meet.It flew closer and closer, and its volume became larger and larger, reaching an astonishing level. Readers, if you can, imagine for yourselves the position of our three travelers.It is indescribable.Although they are usually courageous, calm, and fearless in the face of danger, they were so frightened that they dared not move, their limbs trembled, and they didn't know what to do.The projectile, which they could not control, rushed straight towards this huge, blazing monster, hotter than the flames of the open reverberatory furnace mouth, and it seemed that they were about to rush into the sea of ​​​​fire. Barbicane grabbed the hands of his two companions, and the three squinted at the asteroid burning to white heat.If their thinking ability was not destroyed, and their brains could still function normally in panic, then they would definitely think that they were really doomed this time! The sudden appearance of this bolide was only a matter of two minutes, but it was like two heart-wrenching centuries!Just as the projectile was about to strike, the fireball suddenly exploded like a bomb.But there was no sound, because the sound is just the vibration of the air, and here is a vacuum, so naturally there is no sound. Nicholl suddenly yelled, and he and his two companions rushed towards the porthole glass.What a beautiful view!What kind of brush can paint such a scene, and what kind of palette can bring out such rich colors? Like a crater blazing, like a fire field burning into the sky.Many luminous fragments illuminate the sky, leaving thousands of patterns.Thousands of luminous bodies of different sizes and colors are entangled together.This is a radiant body of red, orange, yellow, green, and gray colors, like a circle of colorful fireworks.It turned out that the terrifying and huge celestial body has now completely turned into fragments flying in all directions. They are also like asteroids, some are like flaming swords, some are wrapped in white clouds, and some are in the air. Trails of bright cosmic dust trail behind. These incandescent fragments intersected and collided with each other, and then divided into smaller fragments that flew in all directions, and some even touched the projectile.The glass of the port port window was hit violently, and a streak was cracked.The projectile seemed to be floating in the hail of bullets, and as long as it hit the smallest one, the shell would be destroyed in an instant. The etheric space is bright, and the light is getting more and more intense, because there are scattered small bodies of this kind everywhere on all sides.For a moment the sky was so bright that Michel dragged Barbicane and Nicholl to his porthole and said aloud: The invisible moon is finally visible! Thus for a few seconds the three men caught a glimpse through this luminous medium of this mysterious moon disk which the human eye first saw. What did they see at this inestimable distance?They saw several narrow strips on the surface of the moon, and clusters of real clouds piled up in the thin atmosphere. Through the clouds, they saw not only many high mountains, but also many undulating protrusions, including craters and mountains. The grotesque volcano with its huge mouth open is exactly the same as the visible moon disk.Then there was the endless clearing, where it was no longer a barren plain, but a real sea and a vast ocean, which reflected like a mirror all these magical lights of the sky.Finally, they also saw many black spots on the lunar continent, as if they saw the endless forests under the rapid lightning. Is it an illusion, an optical error, or a deceptive optical phenomenon?Can they be scientifically certain of what they have observed so superficially?Would they dare to take a casual glance at the invisible lunar disk and express their opinions on the habitability of the moon? At this moment, the lightning-like brightness in the sky gradually weakened;The etheric space finally returned to its original darkness; the receded stars shone again in the sky, and the looming moon disk also sank back into the unfathomable night.