Why Do We See The Man in The Moon?
The Man in the Moon
Is there a man in the moon? The article ‘Why Do We See The Man On The Moon?’ [1] briefly explains why people may see this weirdly universal illusion.
This widespread and familiar illusion is created by the patterns of dark mare basalts (dark volcanic rock), low and dense landscapes, and dark plains formed by lava flow on the near side of the moon (the side facing Earth) [1]. These patterns and traits in the Moon create shapes that may look like ‘a Man in the Moon’.
Why is the Man always there?
It takes the Moon the same amount of time to complete one rotation as it does to orbit Earth, a phenomenon known as synchronous rotation [1]. This synchronisation ensures that the same hemisphere always faces Earth (the near side) [1].
While the illusion itself has a simple explanation, the process that locked the Moon into this orientation where we can perceive it is far more complex, which we will explore in an upcoming article this Thursday.
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References
Reference paper "Why do we see the man in the moon?"