With the passing of Neil Armstrong last weekend and a rare ?blue moon? happening tonight, It’s a good opportunity to focus on our largest satellite and nearest celestial neighbour:
Tonight you might observe the rare blue moon, but there’s no need to cue mood music. In fact, contrary to popular belief, the blue moon phenomenon actually refers to the second full moon in a month?and It’s a term That’s evolved through several meanings, all quite different. Sky and Telescope has the fascinating history.
You’ve probably seen videos of the Apollo 11 moon landing?whether in 1969 or more recently on YouTube or in a NASA documentary. But, as this National Geographic clip illustrates, how the live coverage was filmed is ?a story in itself.?
One claim by those who are convinced that the moon landing was a hoax is that the photos suggest the whole thing was shot at a studio. Here, astronomers and photographers weigh in with a rebuttal.
Think lunar exploration stopped when we first set foot on the moon? Think again; as this Discover article notes, we’ve really only just begun to understand the secrets it holds. This is a great overview of the last 40 years? worth of research, discoveries, and theories.