THE MANY SIDES OF THE MOON
JAMES: HEY THERE STAR GAZERS, I’M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM
IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.
DEAN: AND I’M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FOR THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY.
WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU FIND YOU WAY AROUND THE SKY TONIGHT.
WHETHER IT’S A SLIM CRESCENT, A BIG GIBBOUS OR EVEN FULL, I ALWAYS LIKE SEEING THE MOON
IN THE NIGHT SKY.
JAMES: BUT IT’S NOT THE EASIEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE TO UNDERSTAND.
IT GOES THROUGH PHASES, CHANGES ITS POSITION FROM NIGHT TO NIGHT, AND IS EVEN VISIBLE DURING
THE DAYTIME.
DEAN: AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONFUSIONS IS “WHAT IS THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON?”
AND “WHAT IS THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON?”
JAMES: THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING.
SO THIS WEEK, WE’RE GOING TO TAKE YOU UP 240,000 MILES OFF EARTH TO SEE ALL THE SIDES
OF THE MOON.
DEAN: LET’S SHOW YOU!
DEAN: WE OFTEN THINK THAT THE MOON IS ONLY VISIBLE AT NIGHT.
THIS ISN’T EXACTLY TRUE.
IN FACT THIS WEEK, YOU’LL SEE THE MOON ONLY IN THE MORNING SKY.
JAMES: HERE WE HAVE OUR SKY SET UP FOR MAY 23RD AT 5AM FACING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST.
THAT MORNING THE WANING GIBBOUS MOON WILL BE NEAR A BRIGHT, YELLOW-LOOKING STAR.
DEAN: IT’S NOT ACTUALLY A STAR, BUT IS IN FACT THE RINGED PLANET SATURN.
YOU CAN SEE SATURN EVERY MORNING BEFORE SUNRISE, AND IT WILL SLOWLY MAKE ITS WAY TO THE EVENING
SKY LATER THIS SUMMER.
JAMES: BUT LET’S WATCH THE MOON MOVE FROM MORNING TO MORNING.
HERE IT IS ON MAY 24TH, MAY 25TH, MAY 26TH.
EACH MORNING IT SHIFTED TO THE LEFT, OR TOWARD THE EAST.
AND THE PHASE CHANGED.
IT’S WANING, MEANING THERE IS LESS LIGHT VISIBLE ON THE MOON EACH DAY WHILE THE DARK
SIDE INCREASES.
DEAN: WANING MOONS ARE MORE EASILY SEEN IN THE MORNING SKY, AFTER MIDNIGHT.
AND ON MAY 26TH, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU’LL EVEN BE ABLE TO FIND IT AT 7AM AND LATER - EVEN
THOUGH THE SUN HAS RISEN.
JAMES: NOW, THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE STRANGE ABOUT THE MOON.
LET’S FLY UP FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PHASES AND THE DARK AND LIGHT PARTS OF THE MOON.
JAMES: HERE WE ARE FACING THE MOON.
LET’S WATCH HOW THE MOON PHASES CHANGE AS SEEN FROM EARTH.
WHAT DO YOU NOTICE?
DEAN: I SEE THE LIGHT MOVING FROM RIGHT TO LEFT, AND THEN THE DARKNESS MOVING FROM RIGHT
TO LEFT.
JAMES: EXACTLY!
ALL THE MOONLIGHT COMES FROM THE SUN, BUT WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING ON THE OTHER SIDE,
THE LUNAR SURFACE IS ALL DARK.
THAT’S THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.
DEAN: SO THE DARK SIDE IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING.
BUT WAIT, WE’RE ONLY SEEING HALF OF THE MOON.
WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE OTHER SIDE?
JAMES: THAT’S THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON.
WHILE THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING, THE FAR SIDE IS ALWAYS THE SIDE
FACING AWAY FROM THE EARTH.
DEAN: WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON LOOKED LIKE UNTIL WE SENT SPACECRAFTS
AND PEOPLE AROUND THERE IN THE 1950S AND 60S.
ONLY 21 HUMANS HAVE SEEN THE FAR SIDE IN PERSON.
LET’S GO CHECK IT OUT!
DEAN: HERE WE ARE WHERE FEW PEOPLE HAVE GONE BEFORE - THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON.
IT’S WEIRD TO THINK THAT NO MATTER WHAT WE DO OR WHERE WE GO ON EARTH, WE NEVER SEE
THIS SIDE OF THE MOON.
JAMES: THE FIRST PICTURES FROM THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON CAME FROM THE SOVIET UNION’S
LUNA 3 SPACECRAFT, WHICH FLEW AROUND THERE IN 1959.
DEAN: THIS WAS QUITE A FEAT.
TO FLY 240,000 MILES OFF EARTH AND CIRCLE THE MOON.
SO MANY OF THE FEATURES ON THE FAR SIDE BEAR RUSSIAN NAMES.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU NOTICE?
JAMES: IT’S NOT A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT FROM THE NEAR SIDE.
STILL ROCKY, GRAY, AND CRATERED.
AND STILL DESOLATE.
BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE AS MANY DARK AREAS, WHAT WE CALL SEAS, LIKE ON THE NEAR SIDE OF
THE MOON.
DEAN: THERE WERE LESS MASSIVE IMPACTS ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON THAN ON THE NEAR SIDE.
SO THERE IS ONLY ONE NOTABLE SEA AND IT’S NAMED THE SEA OF MOSCOW.
I GUESS IT PAID TO GET THERE FIRST!
DEAN: SO THERE YOU HAVE IT.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DARK SIDE AND THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON.
JAMES: THE DARK SIDE IS ALWAYS CHANGING DEPENDING ON THE PHASE OF THE MOON.
DEAN: AND THE FAR SIDE IS ALWAYS POINTED AWAY FROM EARTH, HIDDEN FROM VIEW.
JAMES: CHECK OUT THE NEAR SIDE AND LIT SIDE OF THE MOON THIS WEEK IN THE MORNING SKY,
AND DREAM OF FLYING AROUND TO THE FAR SIDE.
BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!