All eyes were turned toward the sky.

It was coming soon, you see, and the people were excited.

Halley's comet was due to pass by the Earth.

With a tail 24 million miles long and careening over

three million miles overhead, the residents of New York City marveled at the heavens and

wondered what it could all mean. Richard Locke certainly had an idea. For him, it meant dollars,

if he played his cards right. He was in the business of newspapers,

a ruthless cutthroat game in Old New York, one that pitted Titans and Penny Press publishers

against each other. He knew you had to give the people what they wanted, and in this moment,

people wanted the stars. But he would do them one better.

He would also give them the moon.

On August 25th of 1835, Locke published the first installment of a new, otherworldly story.

He would run in six parts, with each ending luring its readers to come back for more.

He titled it, Celestial Discoveries, and hid behind the identity

of a very real and very famous astronomer, John Herschel. But beyond that, the story was,

what we would call today, fake news. Over the course of six issues, Locke, I mean, Herschel,

told readers about what he was seen through his superpowered telescope aimed at the moon, Locke, I mean, Herschel, told readers about what he was seen through his super-powered

telescope aimed at the moon. Plant life, rocks, animals. He told of lunar forests,

herds of brown bison-like creatures, even bluish unicorns. In a voice that echoed the same

travelogue sensibilities of America's age of new imperialism,

his dispatches read like field notes, and then came the big reveal.

He had discovered intelligent life on the moon.

...