eleven in the evening
After having solicited a public subscription which produced nearly 30,000,000 of francs , it began its gigantic labours . According to the plan drawn up by the members of the observatory , the cannon destined to hurl the projectile was to be set up in some country situated between the 0 ° and 28 ° of north or south latitude in order to aim at the moon at the zenith . The bullet was to be endowed with an initial velocity of 12,000 yards a second . Hurled on the 1st of December at thirteen minutes and twenty seconds to eleven in the evening , it was to get to the moon four days after its departure on the 5th of December at midnight precisely , at the very instant she would be at her perigee -- that is to say , nearest to the earth , or at exactly 86,410 leagues ' distance . The principal members of the Gun Club , the president , Barbicane , Major Elphinstone , the secretary , J.T. Maston , and other _ savants _ , held several meetings , in which the form and composition of the bullet were discussed , as well as the disposition and nature of the cannon , and the quality and quantity of the powder to be employed . It was decided -- 1 , that the projectile should be an obus of aluminium , with a diameter of 800 inches ; its sides were to be 12 inches thick , and it was to weigh 19,250 lbs. ; 2 , that the cannon should be a cast-iron Columbiad 900 feet long , and should be cast at once in the ground ; 3 , that the charge should consist of 400,000 lbs . of gun-cotton , which , by developing 6,000,000,000 litres of gas under the projectile , would carry it easily towards the Queen of Night .