What People Thought About the Moon (62)

Introduction

The following excerpts from “Modern Mysteries of the Moon” by Vincent S. Foster show how the Moon was looked upon in the past by the people’s of the Earth. I find it quite interesting how the way we look at the Moon was changed over time, and there is still much to know.

Much Like Earth

“Some Greek philosophers believed that the Moon was a world much like Earth. In about A. D. 100, Plutarch even suggested that people lived on the Moon. The Greeks also apparently believed that the dark areas of the Moon were seas, while the bright regions were land.”

Moon and Sun Orbit the Earth

“In about A. D. 150 Ptolemy , a Greek astronomer who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, said that the Moon was Earth’s nearest neighbour in space. He thought that both the Moon and the Sun orbited Earth. Ptolemy’s views survived for more than 1300 years “

Correct View Moon Revolves with Earth Round the Sun

“But by the early 1500s, the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus had developed the correct view—Earth and the other planets revolve around the Sun , and the Moon orbits Earth.”

Galileo

“The Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo wrote the first scientific description of the Moon, based on his observations with a telescope. In 1609, Galileo described a rough, mountainous surface.

This description was quite different from what was commonly believed—that the Moon was smooth. Galileo noted that the light regions were rough and hilly and the dark regions were smoother plains. Galileo even sketched the Moon!”

End (62).

What Features Does the Moon Have? (61)

Introduction

The following excerpt is a good one I think because it addresses in quite succinct form what features the Moon actually has.

The following excerpt comes from the book “Moons of the Solar System (From Giant Ganymede to Dainty Dactyl)” by James A.Hall.

Excerpt

“Our moon is a big place. According what the IAU has recognized and named it has:

• 12 Vallis (valleys)

• 22 Maria (sea)

• Oceanus Procellarum (ocean)

• 20 Lacus (lakes)

• 3 Palus (marshes)

• 11 Sinus (bays)

• 30 Mons (mountains)

• 18 Montes (mountain ranges)

• Reiner Gamma (an albedo feature)

• 20 Catena (chains of craters)

• 18 Dorsa and 21 Dorsum (wrinkle-ridge system and wrinkle-ridges)

• 9 Promontorium (capes)

• 52 Rima and 53 Rimae (rilles (ridges) and rille systems)

• 8 Rupes (escarpments)

• 1609 known, named craters (older ones were erased and this does not include satellite craters, which do not have independent names.)

And when things the IAU does not recognize are added:

• 5 Ex-Seas

• 1 Unrecognized Marsh (Palus Nebularum)

• Private/personal identification systems”

Summary

The Moon certainly has many features similar to what the Earth has. Except that the number of craters I think is larger. This fact could have some weight in determining which origin theory of the Moon is more valid.

End (61).

Moon Origin – Giant Impact Theory (60)

Introduction

The following is a very concise description of the leading theory (note, only a theory at this stage) to describe the origin of the Moon. It is called the Giant Impact Theory.

The following excerpt comes from the book “Moons of the Solar System (From Giant Ganymede to Dainty Dactyl)” by James A.Hall.

Excerpt

“The leading theory of our moon’s formation is called the Giant Impact Theory. About 4.4–4.45 billion years ago (give or take a few millennia), a large body, a planetesimal often referred to as Theia, and thought to be about the size of Mars, smashed into Earth. This destroyed the crust of our planet, turning the whole planet to magma and a large ball of this material was jettisoned from the surface. This magma spun itself into a ball, attaining hydrostatic equilibrium, cooled, and solidified into Luna. It settled into an orbit near Earth, not fast enough to escape, nor so close as to crash into it, nor so slow as to decay considerably in the short-term. It is therefore in a somewhat stable if unusual orbit.”

Summary

This post was just to acquaint you with one of the more popular theories on the origin of the Moon. Note, it is still a theory, not

At this stage, the origin of the Moon has several theories, however, not one of them is without holes. The presence of observations that can not be explained by each theory (holes) make the search for the new theory ongoing.

End (60).

Moon and the Earth Compared (59)

Introduction

The following is a very concise piece of text comparing the Moon and the Earth.

The following excerpt comes from the book “Moons of the Solar System (From Giant Ganymede to Dainty Dactyl)” by James A.Hall.

Excerpt

“Most other major moons orbit along the equator of their planet. Our moon does not; rather it follows a margin along either side of the ecliptic, of about 5°.

It is also almost perfectly round. The moon’s roundness exceeds that of every planet (or at least every superior planet. Mercury is also very round.) Visually, it looks unusually flat. Most planets from our viewpoint are brighter near their center than at their limbs. It is also important to note that many other moons appear equally fuzzy at the edge from their own planets. Luna is different. The full moon is evenly lit at all parts, which was noticed by, and puzzled, the ancient Greeks.

Continuing onward, Earth and the Moon spin in similar orientations. Moon samples indicate the surface of the Moon was once liquid rock, or magma. The Moon is believed to have a relatively small iron core (but comparable to the Earth’s core by percentage of total mass and volume, accounting for density). Its density is lower than Earth’s own, but only slightly. Stable mineral isotopes of lunar and terrestrial rock are identical, implying a common origin.

Finally, until 2015, our moon was considered unique in having an electromagnetic field of its own. Recently Hyperion was found to have one as well, but much weaker than our moon, which has the strongest electromagnetic field found around a moon. In March of 2015 Ganymede was found to also have its own magnetic field.”

Summary

The Moon is almost perfectly round, and it appears in the night sky equally bright all over its face.

It has been found that the Moon has an iron core and even has a magnetic field (very weak).

As mentioned above in the excerpt the Moon does not orbit the Earth in line with the Earth’s equator, but at a 5.19° angle, which can be seen in the diagram above. The reason for this is not known and is certainly a very strange point, as other moons do not do this, they rather orbit their planet in line with their planet’s equator.

End (59).

Are All Moons Tidally Locked to their Planet? (58)

Introduction

I always thought that only our Moon and Earth were locked in a synchronised spin, accounting for why we always only see one face of the Moon. However after reading the passage below from the book “Moons of the Solar System (From Giant Ganymede to Dainty Dactyl)” by James A.Hall, I realised that this spin synchronisation is a feature common to many other moons.

Excerpt

“Luna is the proper name given to Earth’s own moon, hence the word Lunar. (These terms are used interchangeably in this chapter, and Appendix B only, as this rest of this book refers to other moons). Luna is tidally locked to the Earth so that one side always faces us, but due to a slight rocking motion called libration, we can actually see about 59 % of the total surface area of the moon (not all at once, of course). Many other moons exhibit tidal locking with their own planet. Still, the far side (often incorrectly referred to as the dark side, as it is spends as much time lit as the close side) remained mostly hidden until 1959. In 1959, the Soviet Luna 3 probe photographed this mysterious side”.

Summary

To have a synchronised spin between moon and planet seems to be a characteristic of the lunar principle.

So then we can extend this to esotericism and psychology. If we have lunar principles at work in a certain area, this principle of being locked or only seeing one side will be prevalent. Certainly this is observable in our psychology which esotericism states is essentially a lunar principled or based psychology. We typically only see one side of our psychology, we don’t perceive our psychology in a unified, uni-total way.

End (58).

How Many Moons are there in Our Solar System? (57)

Introduction

Here is an excerpt about the number of moons in our solar system. We certainly know that we have a moon or two and it is also known that some of the other planets in our solar system also have moons. This excerpt provides more exact and detailed information about this subject.

This excerpt has been taken from the book: “Moons of the Solar System (From Giant Ganymede to Dainty Dactyl)” by James A.Hall, published by Springer.

Excerpt

“The question of how many moons are in our Solar System has undergone a lot of flux. As an example, Venus has no conventional moons, but has a co-orbital body and two smaller bodies (asteroids) related to its orbit. And while no book could really detail these three objects, due to the small amount known about them, no book even mentions them in passing. Just like no book mentions that 4 of the 5000+ Jupiter Trojans are known to have moonlets, or that there must be 1000 or more that have moonlets that we are unaware of.

According to one source published in 1958 (a book which also clearly shows that Pluto is considerably larger than Mercury, almost the size of Mars), there were 31 moons in the Solar System (and since Pluto was bigger than Mercury, I think we can understand why it showed no moons around Pluto). A later source in 1963, which was revised in 1977, showed there were 34 moons. According to a 1993 book there were 61 for the giant planets, plus 3 for the Earth and Mars and 1 for Pluto (still a planet in 1993). Moving ahead to 2006, it was 163 (with pluses after Jupiter and Saturn), including little Dactyl (which orbits an asteroid), and minus 1 since Pluto was not a planet any more, but an ice dwarf planet/trans-Neptunian object, and Charon’s definition was fuzzy too. In 2011, it was 7 major, 8 medium, and 166 as a mix of minor and very minor (a four-part distinction which will be used extensively throughout the organization of the book.)

Now it is 2015, so it is time for a new count. When the book was completed, 164 moons could be found around planets, 8 around dwarf planets in the asteroid belt, 96 around smaller asteroids, 3 as Venus co-orbitals, with an additional 4 Jupiter Trojans, 51 Near-earth objects, 20 Mars-crossing objects, and 87 TNO satellites. There are also 150 or more “possible” satellites in Saturn’s rings (few of which are included in this volume due to minimal information about said objects). But be forewarned, this information changes practically on a day-to-day basis. However, through using Information Clearing House wikis, an exhaustive list of reputable sites can be found. One such list is an exhaustive list of asteroids with moon, and while it would not be practical to call the any such Earth-made list complete, it is exhaustive of what is currently known, even as that knowledge is continually being revised.”

Summary

So then the number is that there are 164 moons in total orbiting around planets. There are also many other moon-like objects, just as the second paragraph of the excerpt details orbiting around, dwarf planets (8), smaller asteroids etc.

End (57).

Impact of the Moon on Earth (56)

Change of Posting Style

Unfortunately due to a lack of time, I’m going to be changing my posting style. Instead of generating new and original content I am going to be posting some interesting excerpts from books on the Moon that I have come across.

Introduction

Here is an excerpt about the impact the Moon has had on the Earth. It has been taken from the book: “Moons of the Solar System (From Giant Ganymede to Dainty Dactyl)” by James A.Hall, published by Springer.

Excerpt

“Ever since humanity can recall, Luna has been in our sky by night and by day. For some it is a simple source of light, to others it is seen as a source of protection or inspiration and it causes superstition among others. Recent generations made it a goal to reach the surface. Regardless, for almost everyone, it holds a special place in our hearts and souls.

Light is one of the most obvious effects of the moon. During the day, the Earth has a seemingly unending source of light, the Sun. While the Sun does have a finite life span, few other than cosmologists concern themselves with such factors. For most it is enough that it exists now, and can be depended on until their dying day, as well as the dying day of the next 100 generations (which is considered long even in the astronomical timescale, though the cosmologists consider this rather shortsighted.) Light affects all functions through the circadian cycle which governs our day and night, various biological functions that slow down at night (like waste processing) which is based in part on light, and seasonal affective disorder is also based on day length/daylight length, and some treatments are based on light therapy. There are even people who study the effects of light on life; the terms scotobiologist and photobiologist have surfaced in recent years. The moon’s brightness is enough that in times before electricity it could aid in navigation, and it is still manipulated in the fishing techniques for certain fish. Even navigation would be impacted since the moon is one of the many objects which ship navigators have historically used to chart their path.

Beyond the practical, just listing the works of fiction about Luna, poetry and music about the moon, and people inspired by it would be a full-time job. If someone thinks the moon controls their life, they might look into this and discover the pseudo-science of astrology. Or they may use the older term for this belief and coin themselves a luna tic. The moon is astronomy for the everyman.

It may even have been a factor in the existence of life at all. A number of theories indicate there was a primordial soup on Earth. All reputable theories first evolve life in some sort of liquid medium. And the moon is certainly one of the primary factors of tides. Therefore the argument follows this short line: life requires tides; significant tides require the moon. Without the moon, tides would be much weaker (driven mostly by the sun) and with weaker tides and less mixing of this soup, life may never have arisen on Earth. Geodynamicists theorize that the ocean’s tidal flow, caused by the moon, may have made the climate more hospitable for speciation. Some molecular biologists even speculate that fast lunar tidal oscillation could have created an environment where protonucleic acid fragments might have benefited from the high salinity of the frequent low-tide periods. That cycle of rapidly forming and dissolving molecules in the rapidly rising and receding tidal waters could have eventually led to the development of DNA. This debate rages on.”

Summary

The Moon for sure has had an impact on the earth. The excerpt principally addresses the physical impacts the Moon has had on Earth, from fishing techniques, to navigation, to affecting our sleep patterns by the amount of extra light present at night, to literature, myth, legend to finally the role of the Moon in arising of life on the planet.

The interesting point about this excerpt is that in the last paragraph, there is some agreement there with esotericism, saying that life emerged from the waters and because the Moon heavily influences the waters the Moon has had a significant role in shaping life on this planet since its beginning. In esotericism the Moon is related to Life, fertility, conception and gestation.

End (56).