midnight
She would be imagining the gradual changes of the moon 's face with nearness , when the colorings appear . From a distance all the moon seems tan or sandy in tint . When one comes closer , there are tawny reds and slate-colors in the mountain-cliffs , and even blues and yellows , and everywhere there is the ashy , whitish-tan color of the moondust . Glancing at her , absorbed in her satisfaction , Cochrane suspected that with only half an excuse she would explain to him how the several hundreds of degrees difference in the surface-temperature of the moon between midnight and noon made rocks split and re-split and fracture so that stuff as fine as talcum powder covered every space not too sharply tilted for it to rest on . The feeling of deceleration increased . For part of a second they had the sensation of three gravities . Then there was a curious , yielding jar -- really very slight -- and then the feeling of excess weight ended altogether .