ANIMAL » Moon

This Won’t Happen Again Till 2094

Bucky Turco — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:07:56 +0000

Did you see the lunar eclipse last night? Astronomy fans were especially excited since it occurred during the winter solstice. The last time that happened was 1638 and will be another 83 years before it happens again. Here’s what it looked like from Brooklyn.

(Photos: Andy Outis)

In case you were wondering why the Earth’s shadow casts a red hue on the Moon, NASA offers this explanation:

Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the sun behind it. The eclipse is underway. You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it’s not. The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth’s circumference, you’re seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth’s shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the Moon into a great red orb.

And here’s a video from Gainsville, Florida:

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse from William Castleman on Vimeo.

The Moon Is Wet

Bucky Turco — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:34:08 +0000

The moon is wetter than believed and researchers now think there could be a substantial concentration of water deep below the lunar surface. Drill, baby, drill! Drill, baby, drill! Drill, baby, drill!

There’s Porn on the Moon Too

Marina Galperina — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:15:35 +0000

Not only is Andy Warhol’s doodle-dick up in the lunar art museum (Moon MoMA?), but there’s also a shrunken Playboy page. The back-up Apollo 12 crew weaseled one into the fireproof plastic cuff checklists. It was discovered hours into their Moon stroll. That’s very thoughtful and all, but the mechanics involved in “appreciating” space porn in zero gravity were probably more trouble than it’s worth.

Andy Warhol Left a Penis Doodle on the Moon

Marina Galperina — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:21:46 +0000

PBS’s History Detectives TV says there’s a tiny art museum on the moon. This rectangular, half-inch-by-three-quarter-inch ceramic chip was stowed away by the Apollo 12 crew on the great lunar schlep and it’s still up there.

The group canvas is mostly circuitry-esque, geometric shapes. Robert Rauschenberg drew a line. Claes Oldenburg drew Mickey Mouse’s head on a pike with his tongue jutting out. Andy Warhol drew a rocket. The kind that’s in your pants.

Obama Addresses NASA, Adds Rocket Fuel To Moon Landing Conspiracy Fire

Bucky Turco — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:44:21 +0000

Great, now we’ll never know if Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. Speaking at the Kennedy Space Center today, President Obama explained why he’s more down with landing astronauts on an asteroid than the lunar surface: “I just have to say pretty bluntly – we’ve been there before. There’s a lot more space to explore and a lot more to learn when we do.” Making matters worse, the one space walker who gets heckled by conspiracy theorists the most, Buzz Aldrin, agrees with him. What are you hiding Buzz?

Obama Ruins NASA’s Proposed Excursion to the Moon

Bucky Turco — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:08:22 +0000

President Obama just dashed the dreams of millions of space geeks by asking NASA to kill their proposed 2020 mission to the moon and focus on more important stuff instead. |NYT|

Moon Crater Renamed for John Lennon’s Birthday

Will Sherman — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:13:01 +0000

Hours after NASA’s uneventful attack on the moon, a crater was renamed the “John Lennon Peace Crater.” The International Lunar Geographic Society, the leading real estate agency for Moon property, announced the honorary name change goes into effect today, the 69th anniversary of the former Beatles-member’s birthday. Strangely, Michael Jackson got a crater named for him earlier this summer, just months after his death, not the 29 years it took for Lennon. |Imagine Peace|

One Small Punch for Conspiracy Theorists

Will Sherman — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:13:28 +0000

Forty years ago today, Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to land on the Moon. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down and walked on the surface as Michael Collins orbited above. Conspiracy theorists continue to claim that the lunar landing, as well as the five subsequent missions, were a hoax. And nearly seven years ago, Buzz Aldrin punched one of them in the face.

Bart Sibrel, the maker of two films claiming the moon missions were faked, took the blow after luring Aldrin to a Beverly Hills hotel under the guise of a Japanese TV interview, then demanding the 71-year-old former astronaut swear his moonwalk on the bible. Fortunately, the galactic punch was captured on film, below.