Good Night, Moon

I don't want us to suffer from moon fatigue, so I'll be moving on to other topics. But don't worry, we'll revisit the moon from time to time.

Before we go, though, one more thing: this very easy synopsis of how you can tell when the moon will rise: The new moon always rises at sunrise, the first quarter moon rises at noon, the full moon rises at sunset and the last quarter moon at midnight. I've always been confused by this, because sometimes you see the moon during the day and sometimes you don't. This is the kind of information you might come across in old novels, when someone has to make an escape at night and waits for the moon to set so it's completely dark. See how handy this stuff is?

The Rabbit in the Moon

Here is an animated version of the traditional Asian tale that explains how the rabbit ended up on the moon. I like this story, as it honors kindness while recognizing its limits. I hope you enjoy this wonderful story.

The Many Inhabitants of the Moon

Everyone knows about the man in the moon, a mysterious figure who nevertheless, according to tradition, enjoys a glass or two of red wine. But people in other cultures see different figures in the moon, including a woman, a rabbit, a moose, a buffalo and a dragon (although probably not all at once). It's an example of pareidolia - finding order or structure in random images or sounds. Another example is looking for animals or faces in clouds.

There is a theory that the traditional figures people see in the moon (a man in Europe and a rabbit in Asia) may be related to the latitude of their location, since the moon appears somewhat differently in different latitudes. To explore this idea, follow this link for more information.

Take some time to look at the moon image above and see what other moon inhabitants you can imagine. If I squint right, I can almost see the buffalo...