And then there was at first no difference in the
look of things save that the _Mare Imbrium_--the solidified, arid Sea of
Showers--was as dark as the shadows in the mountains.
They still gleamed brightly. For a very long time the white-hot sunshine
glowed on their flanks. The brightness rose and rose, and blackness
followed it. At long last only the topmost peaks of the Apennines blazed
luridly against a background of stars whose light seemed feeble by
comparison.
Then it was night indeed. But the Earth shone forth, a half-globe of
seas and clouds and continents, vast and nostalgic in the sky. And now
Earthshine fell upon the moon. It was many times brighter than moonlight
ever was upon the Earth. Even at lunar sunset the Earthlight was sixteen
times brighter. At midnight, when the Earth was full, it would be bright
enough for any activity. Actually, the human beings on Luna were nearly
nocturnal in their habits, because it was easier to run moon-jeeps in
frigidity and keep men and machines warm enough for functioning, than it
was to protect them against the more-than-boiling heat of midday on the
moon.
So the activity about the salvaged space-ship increased.
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