Overhead, they could see the Queen of Night coming nearer and nearer to the line followed by the Projectile, and evidently approaching the point where both should meet at the appointed moment.
All around, the black vault of heaven was dotted with luminous points which seemed to move somewhat, though, of course, in their extreme distance their relative size underwent no change.

The Sun and the stars looked exactly as they had appeared when observed from the Earth.

The Moon indeed had become considerably enlarged in size, but the travellers' telescopes were still too weak to enable them to make any important observation regarding the nature of her surface, or that might determine her topographical or geological features.
Naturally, therefore, the time slipped away in endless conversation.

The Moon, of course, was the chief topic.

Each one contributed his share of peculiar information, or peculiar ignorance, as the case might be.
Barbican and M'Nicholl always treated the subject gravely, as became learned scientists, but Ardan preferred to look on things with the eye of fancy.