On Board the Nautilus

Abstract

Some months ago, I took part, with some friends, in an astronomy trip to the mountain Pico del Buitre, in Javalambre (province of Teruel, Spain). The trip, among whose participants there were prospective scientists between the age of four and nine, included a night devoted to amateur observation with portable telescopes. El Pico del Buitre is one of the darkest spots in Spain—and also one of the coldest, as all members of the party remember well. Even darker is Roque de los Muchachos, on Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands), one of the most important sites for astronomy observation on the Northern hemisphere.

There is a powerful agent, obedient, rapid, easy, which conforms to every use, and reigns supreme on board my vessel. Everything is done by means of it. It lights, warms it, and is the soul of my mechanical apparatus. This agent is electricity.

Jules Verne, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”