Date: November 14, 2009
Title: Rabbit on the Moon
Podcaster: Harith, Rahul, and Rohith
Organization: This podcast is dedicated to all astronomy enthusiasts.
Description: It does not take great deal effort for a person to spot a rabbit shape on the moon. When our ancestors looked at the moon they came up with tales as to how the rabbit got there. In this podcast, we tell you a small Indian fable about why there is a rabbit on the moon. In reality, we see this is shape due to the interesting arrangement of lunar seas. We explain what the seas are, the real names of the seas and other facts about the moon.
Bio: We are a group of friends with a common interest in astronomy. We wish to take this interest to the next level by participating in activities like this and also help others appreciate our universe better.
Today’s sponsor: This episode of “365 Days of Astronomy” is sponsored by Becca and Jeff Setzer in memory of our good friend Mike Matthies, who loved astronomy, photography and life. Mike, we hope someday this podcast makes it to you; we all love and miss you very much.
Transcript:
Namaste. We dedicate this podcast to celebrate the first anniversary of Chandrayaan-1, India’s first lunar mission. Exactly one year ago, a moon impact probe from Chandrayaan-1 crash landed in the Shackleton crater. November 14, was deliberately chosen to inspire the children to get into sciences because today is celebrated as Children’s day in India. Chandrayaan-1 is an international collaboration which opened new doors for scientists in developing nations to take part in future space explorations.
Have you ever observed the moon very carefully? Well enough to spot a rabbit on it? Why not go take a look at it? Go right ahead, we will wait here for you. So … did you get a good look? Of course you did not. It is 2 days before new moon. And that is why we provided a photograph of the moon along with the transcript (http://usm.maine.edu/planet/Moon_names.jpg). Now take a look at the photograph. The rabbit we see is actually a pattern of dark areas on the moon known as seas. These “seas”, are composed of dark basaltic rock that surfaced due to volcanic activity on moon when it was young.
The rabbit can be traced out, from Ears to Tail, in anticlockwise direction starting in the East and ending in the South-West. The Sea of Nectar and the Sea of Fertility in the East form its ears. The face is formed by the Sea of Serenity and Sea of Tranquility in the lower latitudes slightly towards the North. The body is formed by the Sea of Rains and the Ocean of Storms. The tail of the rabbit is the Sea of Moisture, slightly towards South-West. As the photo attached is a close-up picture of the Moon, you may find it difficult to identify the rabbit. It would be better if you looked at the actual full moon in the sky.
Let us talk about these seas or impact basins on the lunar surface. The lunar geological timescale divides the history of Moon into five generally recognized periods: the Copernican, Eratosthenian, Imbrian (Late and Early epochs), Nectarian, and Pre-Nectarian. Though the boundaries of the timescale are not exact, they are defined by the impact events which created the seas or lakes on the moon. The Pre-Nectarian period runs from the formation of Moon, i.e roughly 4.5 billion years ago to 3.92 billion years ago when the sea of Nector was formed. The Nectarian Period runs from 3.92 billion years to 3.85 billion years. This is the period in which many basins are formed due to Late Heavy bombardment. The Imbrian period runs from 3.85 billion years when Sea of Showers was formed to 3.2 billion years. In Early Imbrian period many other impact basins like Sea of Tranquility, Sea of Fertility, Sea of Serenity and the Ocean of Storms were formed. In Late Imbrian period, the mantle beneath these basins or seas melted and formed them with basalt which resulted in the darker look of these regions. The formation of Eratosthenes crater near the Sea of Showers marks the beginning of Eratosthenian Period. The basalt volcanism ceased during this period. The formation of Copernicus Crater south of Sea of Showers is considered beginning of Copernican Period.
Apart from these seas, some major craters are also distinctly visible. Can you see the one in the south from which white coloured rays can be seen going radially outward? That is called the Tycho crater. Some other craters also feature these rays. They are called Lunar Rays and are used to determine the age of craters from which these rays appear to originate.
Apollo 11 landed in the sea of Tranquility. This was chosen because the area was known to be smoother and unlikely to cause any landing problems. The Lunar Module of Apollo 11 landed just inside the rim in the south-southwest direction. The location can be spotted easily using a binoculars.
The real beauty of the craters can be seen near the shadow line or the terminator. Use a binoculars or a telescope – you’ll have a stupefying spectacle. Due to the angle of the Sun’s rays, the mountains cast long shadows giving us a wonderful view. The Langrenus and Petavius craters on the east show up 3-4 days after the new moon. They look beautiful when they are on the terminator. If you have a binoculars, the movement of the terminator is noticeable every hour or so. Following it very exciting as you can observe new craters emerge from the darkness.
All civilizations needed to justify every observation. So, they created stories to explain the inexplicable. Stories became history, history became legend and legend became a myth. When our ancestors looked at the moon they came up with tales as to how the rabbit actually got there. Civilizations from different parts of the world had different stories about this rabbit. Some even saw other shapes than a rabbit. Here is a small Indian fable about why there is a rabbit on the moon.
Long ago, in a forest, a fox, a rabbit and a monkey became friends. They swore not to harm any other living creature and also be kind to others. The God noticed them and decided to test them if they can keep their promise.
So, one day, in the form of a hunter, he came and told them that he had lost his way, that he was tired and hungry. He asked them if he could come in and rest for some time. They gave the hunter a delightful welcome. He was pleased. They insisted that he should eat something as he was hungry. But unfortunately they did not have anything to serve him. They thought a while about it.
The monkey decided he would go out and find some food for the hunter. So he went, and returned with very few fruits. He said that fruits were scarce and he brought all that he could find. The hunter accepted the fruits. He asked the monkey “what would you eat?”. The monkey said, “I can starve. I think you are more hungry than I am at the moment.”
The hunter was pleased with the unselfish deed of the monkey. He ate the fruits. But, he told them that he was still hungry. The fox responded. This time he went in search of food. When the fox returned, he told the hunter that he shook many trees but no more fruit fell. Instead, he found food left behind by some other traveler. The hunter thanked the fox for his efforts and ate the food. He decided to test the rabbit if he can be as benevolent as the other two. He asked the rabbit if there was anything else to eat.
The rabbit hurried outside but returned empty handed. The hunter politely suggested that he was still hungry. The rabbit said, “if you build a fire beside that rock, I can provide you food”. The hunter built a fire. The rabbit said, “Now I will jump from the top of the rock upon the fire. I have heard that men eat flesh that is taken from the fire. So, I will give you my own”, and jumped.
The hunter revealed himself and caught the rabbit in mid air. He said, “Oh dear rabbit, the monkey and the fox have welcomed me and searched the forest to find me food, but you have done more. You have given me yourself. I will take the gift, little rabbit, and I will carry you up to the moon, so that every one on the earth may see you and hear the tale of your kind and unselfish act.”
And that is why we see a rabbit on the moon.
End of podcast:
365 Days of Astronomy
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the New Media Working Group of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Audio post-production by Preston Gibson. Bandwidth donated by libsyn.com and wizzard media. Web design by Clockwork Active Media Systems. You may reproduce and distribute this audio for non-commercial purposes. Please consider supporting the podcast with a few dollars (or Euros!). Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org. Until tomorrow…goodbye.