30 31 MOO ASTRONOMY OVER THE The N p in View

Sir John Herschel final account, people began asking why no other newspapers had reported the event. Some folks began to doubt the stories, but they enjoyed them all the same. The articles became known as The Great Moon Hoax. No one at the newspaper ever admitted that the story was a fantasy, and the true identity of the writer l We see the same side, or hemisphere, of was never revealed. the Moon all the time because Earth’s Herschel, who was living gravity has slowed the Moon’s rotation; in South Africa at the now one Moon rotation and one Moon time, learned about the TR hoax months later. revolution around Earth take the same EX A! EXTRA! Read All About It! amount of time. l The surface of the Moon may appear to be n 1835, the publishers of The New York Sun newspaper wanted to silvery gray, white, or pale yellow, but it sell more papers. So, on August 25, the first of a series of articles appeared claiming that British astronomer Sir John Herschel had is primarily charcoal gray. The presence of used a gigantic telescope to discover life on the Moon. The reporter iron oxide creates reds, and titanium oxide claimed that Herschel had seen blue unicorns, horned bears, beavers that introduces shades of blue. A full Moon may walked on two feet, and humans with wings (“man-bats”), as well appear orange because Earth’s atmosphere as sheep, zebras, pelicans, cranes, and other exotic creatures amid r acts as a filter, minimizing the blues. amethyst obelisks, volcanic mountains, and forests. Reports of the Moon’s inhabitants Readers were fascinated, and sales of the newspaper took off. described “man-bats,” horned q The articles ran for 6 days ending on August 31. Yet even before that bears, and exotic creatures. continued 32 33 Y O U THE I D ASTRONOMY D KNOW Moonlight: a term that refers to holding a second FULL NAMES job, usually at night o The celestial body that Moonflower: A member of the morning glory family, revolves around Earth has it blooms o many names . . . in? the r evening The English word “moon” comes and usually from the Old English MONA. On the surface of the Moon in 1971, Apollo 15 lunar closes by module pilot Jim Irwin prepared the lunar rover for morning. In Italian, Latin, and Spanish, the orb the first lunar ride. is called LUNA, for the Roman Moon goddess. l Moondust, also called lunar regolith, is In French, the word for moon is LUNE. retroreflective. Like a road sign, it reflects light back to the source (the Sun). Some Germans use MOND. sunlight rays bounce off the o Moon and travel to Earth. Celestial bodies that hold the same During a full Moon, Earth is Moon jellyfish: Found position around other planets as roughly in the same direction in abundance in the mid- the Moon does around Earth are as the Sun, so it receives Atlantic Ocean, it has an collectively called “moons.” more reflected sunlight than 18-inch umbrella, or disc, that q at other times. resembles a flying saucer. Jupiter’s largest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto

l Because the Moon reflects Get the date of the next full Moon at Almanac4kids.com/Sky. On the full all light wavelengths and we q Moon day, take a sheet of white paper and cut a hole in it about ¼ inch most often view it at night COLOR in diameter. On that night, look at the Moon through the hole, while against a black sky, it holding the paper at arm’s length and shining a white light on the paper. appears nearly white or CHECK Now what color is the Moon? (The answer is below.)

yellowish most of the time. Answer: dull gray dull Answer: continued q 34 35 One Size Fits All stranded on THE ASTRONOMY ometimes when a full Moon sits low on the horizon, it appears to be enormous. S Some people mistakenly believe MO that the full Moon appears large because our ON atmosphere magnifies our image of it. This is known as the “Moon illusion.” In fact, the Moon is not magnified nor does it change size:

l When the Moon is high l When the Moon is low, it is overhead, it is dwarfed by viewed in proximity to earthly An artist’s concept of a space tug the vast hemisphere of the objects, such as chimneys or docked with a lunar lander, orbiting heavens. trees, the size and shape of Earth while preparing for its journey which provide scale. to the Moon’s surface

magine that you are part of a space — box of matches — self-igniting signal flares Plant potatoes exploration mission flying from a — food concentrate when the Moon is space station orbiting the Moon to an magnetic — 50 feet of nylon — setting, or the crop occupied base on the Moon itself. An rope compass LORE will be shallow and Myths and legends about instrument malfunction causes you 5 gallons of — parachute silk — the Moon abound. While every potato will be I to crash on the Moon on the daylight water solar-powered they are not scientific, they badly sunburned. side about 75 miles from the base. At — heating unit — solar-powered have a long and colorful this location, the Moon’s day has just FM walkie-talkie two .45 caliber history. Here are a few: begun (daytime on the Moon lasts — pistols — first aid kit about 2 Earth weeks). Your spacecraft containing is in need of repair, and your survival — one case of needles (for powdered milk vitamins, Plant corn when the depends on reaching the Moon base medicine, etc.) — two tanks of LUNAR Moon is rising, and as soon as possible. oxygen that will fit you will have a very Of the 15 items that were not through a tall stalk with the ear damaged in the crash, which would — stellar map of special aperture the Moon’s hanging straight down be most important for the trip? Rank in spacesuits constellations the stalk so that no the items from most important (#1) to self-inflating raft Build a fence when the Moon is water can enter. least important (#15), then compare — i Nails and hair grow that uses carbon turn the page setting, and the bottom rail will faster if cut by the your rankings with those assigned dioxide canisters to see rankings be buried in 3 years. light of the Moon. by experts. for inflation by experts 36 An artist’s impression of a manned lunar base experts’ rankings

1. two tanks of oxygen, essential for 9. self-inflating life raft: the CO2 bottle survival in it may be used for propulsion 2. 5 gallons of water, to replace the 10. signal flares, specially designed for tremendous liquid loss on the lighted an environment with no oxygen, for side of the Moon sending distress signals 3. stellar map of the Moon’s constellations, 11. two .45-caliber pistols, a possible your primary means of navigation means of self-propulsion when fired 4. food concentrate, an efficient means 12. one case of powdered milk, useful but of supplying energy requirements bulkier than food concentrate 5. solar-powered FM walkie-talkie, 13. solar-powered heating unit: not used for communication with the rescue needed unless you are on the dark party at the Moon base (Note: FM side requires line-of-sight transmission 14. magnetic compass: worthless for and short ranges.) navigation because the magnetic 6. 50 feet of nylon rope, for scaling cliffs field on the Moon is not polarized 7. first aid kit: the vitamins, medicines, 15. box of matches: virtually worthless etc., help to sustain health because there is no oxygen on the Moon to sustain flame 8. parachute silk, to provide protection from the Sun’s rays