Thanks to the Chinese, the Moon is back in the forefront of the collective mind. Of course every news show is reporting it, and the usual headline is:

Chinese land a probe on the Dark side of the Moon.

Only one problem with that statement: there is no such a thing as the “Dark” side of our beloved satellite. Like the Earth, the Moon has days and nights, and no side is privy to one or the other.

The Moon does rotate once a lunar month (from full to new Moon) about 28 days so only about half of that time is the “Far” side in the dark, same for the “Near” side. That is why we cannot see it when the “Near” side is at night time.

I guess Pink Floyd is probably to blame for a good part of the confusion but it’s not a reason (even if you are a die hard fan) to perpetuate such an inaccurate notion. And now that the Moon is back in the news, and appropriately, the Chinese rover is on the erroneously named Far Side.

By the way just look at the pictures it sent back- it looks pretty, should I say, sunny…

I rest my case.

Moon Phases (click the image for a in deft explanation of the Moon phases)