Moon Phases

Upon gazing at the night time sky, many are drawn to either the stars, or the Moon or both. Visually the Moon and stars provide a sense of wonderment, beauty and illusion upon our Earth. There are SO many facts and myths about Earth’s counterpart, and although I’m no scientist, I’ll leave the belief for our audience to interpret.

Scientific Facts:

Radius: 1,079.4 mi
Diameter: 3,475 km
Mass: 7.35 × 10^22 kg (0.01 Earths)
Distance to Earth: 238,900 mi
Orbital Period: 27.3 days
Orbital Distance: 384, 400 km
Gravity: 1.62 m/s squared
Surface Temperature: -233 to 123 °C
Surface Area: 37.9 million square km

Quick fun facts!

1. The rise and fall of the tides on Earth is caused by the Moon.
2. The Moon is drifting away from the Earth; it moves approximately 3.8 cm away each year. It is estimated that in about 50 billion years from now, the Moon will orbit the Earth in 47 days as opposed to its current 27.3.
3. Only 12 people have walked the surface of the moon; since 1972, unmanned vehicles are the only visitors.
4. The Moon has no atmosphere. No sound can be heard, the sky is always black, and the surface is unprotected from solar winds, cosmic rays and meteorites.
5. Fifth largest natural satellite in our Solar System.
6. The Moon has quakes (caused by Earth’s gravitational pull).
7. There are 8 moon phases!

MYTHS Ahead? Conspiracy? Folklore? Leave it to the audience to decide for itself.

MANIA: According to History.com, ‘lunacy’ has been attributed to our beautiful cratered partner; a full moon has been said to magnify outlandish behavior. Even doctors and mental health professionals believed there to be a strong connection to mania in accordance to the Moon. Violence, suicides, sleepwalking, illegal activity- many every day commoners truly believe that crankiness occurs around the phase of the Full Moon. The term “lunatic” is derived from the Roman Goddess of the Moon, Luna. Nightly, she was believed to ride her chariot across the sky. In the fifth century B.C., Hippocrates (the Father of modern medicine) wrote, “One who is seized with terror, fright and madness during the night is being visited by the goddess of the moon.”

HOLLOW SPACECRAFT INSTEAD? According to astronomers, the moon lacks the ability to maintain its gravitational pull and body mass, thus insinuating it has a dense core. There were several science fiction books written in the early 20th century, taking place within the meaty center of the moon, inhabited by aliens. Building on that proposal, two Soviet scientists in 1970 suggested the moon is a shell-like alien spacecraft built by extraterrestrials with superior technology and intelligence.

FERTILITY CONTROL: Female Moon dieties originating from the Chinese goddess Chang’e and ranging to Mama Quilla of the Inca are predominantly strong figures in mythologies worldwide. Although menstrual cycles and lunar cycles share similar length times, earlier civilizations believed that the Moon controlled fertility and the ability for women to bear children. Furthermore, Czech doctor Eugene Jonas stumbled across an ancient Assyrian astrological text stating that women are fertile during certain phases of the moon in the 1950s. He based his theory solely on a family planning method, informing his patients that ovulation occurred when the moon was in the same position as when they were born.

ALIEN INHABITANTS: Bavarian astronomer Franz von Paula Gruithuisen in the 1820s was awarded a small lunar crater named after him but for a very long time his colleagues scoffed at his claim that he glimpsed cities on the Moon with his telescope. Such cities included forts, roads, and sophisticated buildings.

NAZI BASE? Upon the end of WWII, rumors circulated that Adolf Hitler not only faked his death but fled the planet, thus hiding away the rest of his days in a lunar hideout. Some also speculated that German astronauts traveled to the Moon and established a top secret facility there (The world may never know...)

MOON LANDINGS NEVER HAPPENED: To this day there is overwhelming controversy surrounding whether or not NASA’s documented moon landings were executed. Arguments to both sides include ‘doctored’ photos, questions pertaining shadowing and footprints, as well as a ‘wind’ source to the American flag standing in an environment in outer space where oxygen and density don’t align with scientific findings. There are several documentaries, movies, and footage on this matter on both sides. If you’re one of the many that enjoy falling into the never ending conspiracy theory black hole, be sure to check out the Apollo landing movies, specifically Apollo-18. Apollo-18 was supposedly ‘canceled,’ for the crew had visited the Moon for research and they never made it back home due to infection by way of alien creatures inhabiting the Moon. Again, controversy and negative reviews surround this movie in its entirety but if you’re feeling whimsical and want to tickle your fancy either way, check out the sources at the bottom of the blog post!

Lastly, the silliest one, which I won’t entertain: RABBIT MOON DWELLER???

Sources:

Apollo 18. Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=Apollo+18&oq=apollo+18&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j46j0l5j69i60.2375j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. Retrieved 07-MAY-2020.

7 Unusual Myths and Theories About the Moon. History.com https://www.history.com/news/7-unusual-myths-and-theories-about-the-moon. Retrieved 07-MAY-2020.

Moon Facts. Space-Facts.com. https://space-facts.com/the-moon. Retrieved 08-MAY-2020.

Moon Landings Search. NASA.gov. https://nasasearch.nasa.gov/search?query=moon+landings&affiliate=nasa&utf8=%E2%9C%93. Retrieved 07-MAY-2020.
2020.05.08:04:35.