midnight
This difference between time and distance was due to the regular retardation of their velocity . They looked at the earth through the floor-light , but it was little more than visible -- a black spot drowned in the solar rays . No longer any sign of a crescent , no longer any sign of ashy light . Next day , towards midnight , the Earth was to be _ new _ , at the precise moment when the Moon was to be _ full _ . 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 .