A Funny Hoax That Took On a Life of Its Own
As detailed by The Sun in a 17,000-word six-part-series, Herschel had travelled to the Cape in 1834 to catalog the Southern Hemisphere’s stars. However, he discovered far more when he turned his powerful telescope to the Moon. First, were hints of vegetation, a body of water, a beach, and numerous pyramids. As the focus was adjusted for sharper detail, herds of bison-like animals were seen. Next were blue goats that looked like unicorns. Yet more animals, such as walking beavers, were described in the third installment. The biggest shocker came in the fourth installment, which announced the discovery of hominids, about four feet tall, who flew with bat wings.
“We scientifically denominated them as Vespertilio-homo, or man bat; and they are doubtless innocent and happy creatures“, the article went on. That was when public excitement grew into a fever pitch. It was also when the authors discovered that they had greatly underestimated the public’s gullibility. The articles had been intended as funny satire. Instead, they were accepted as gospel truth. The authors eventually wound down the story with the telescope’s accidental destruction. It had been left exposed to the Sun, whose rays caused its lens to act as a burning glass, which started a fire that destroyed the telescope and the observatory. Needless to say, Sir John Herschel had never claimed the funny astronomical discoveries attributed to him, nor had he made any such lunar observations.