Round the Moon
What is Round the Moon about?
This sequel to From the Earth to the Moon narrates the eventful journey to the Moon of three passengers—Impey Barbicane, president of the Gun Club, Captain Nicholl, Barbicane’s rival and then collaborator, and Michel Ardan, a French scientist—aboard a hollow cannonball. They orbit the Moon and perform geographical observations, but the projectile fails to land, propelling them instead toward the Earth. They’re rescued at sea and widely celebrated as the first humans to leave Earth.
Main themes in Round the Moon
Lunar exploration
The theme of lunar exploration weaves through Round the Moon, adding depth to its narrative.
Survival in space
In Round the Moon, survival in space provides a lens for understanding the story's core message.
Scientific observation
In Round the Moon, scientific observation provides a lens for understanding the story's core message.
Weightlessness
The theme of weightlessness weaves through Round the Moon, adding depth to its narrative.
Why Round the Moon is still relevant today
Round the Moon continues From the Earth to the Moon, depicting the actual lunar voyage and return. Verne explores the experience of weightlessness, describes lunar geography accurately for his time, and invents ingenious solutions to survival challenges. Together with its predecessor, it forms the first realistic space travel fiction.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Round the Moon about?
Continuing From the Earth to the Moon, this novel follows the three travelers as their capsule approaches the moon, enters lunar orbit, and eventually returns to Earth via ocean splashdown. They observe the moon's surface and face survival challenges.
Do they land on the moon?
No—their trajectory takes them around the moon but not to the surface. Verne recognized landing and return would require technology he couldn't plausibly imagine. The orbit-and-return approach was later used by Apollo 8.
Should I read From the Earth to the Moon first?
Yes, Round the Moon is a direct sequel and assumes knowledge of the first novel. The two should be read together as one continuous narrative of the moon voyage.
How do they survive in the capsule?
Verne invented plausible life support systems including oxygen regeneration and temperature control. While not accurate to modern engineering, his solutions showed systematic thinking about space travel's practical challenges.