There is a phrase that goes, “The dark side of the moon.” Funny phrase, yet it is misleading since every part of the moon sees the same amount of sunlight.

The eclipse is a pretty unique event. The moon will pass between the sun and the earth causing its shadow to roll through the United States. If you have ever seen the shadow of a bird or a plane move along the ground, it is larger than the actual object. My dog chases the shadows of birds who are flying overhead. But my writing today isn’t about shadows. 

The orbit of the moon is a circle around the earth. They say that the moon rotates exactly once for each orbit so from the earth we see the same side of the moon all the time. The only way to see the other side of the moon is to fly into space and go around that side. Don’t have a rocket in your yard or you aren’t Superman, then you can join me in saying that you won’t see that side. 

Here is what I think is cool. Since the moon rotates once (a lunar day) for each time it orbits the earth (a lunar year), then one day on the moon equals one year on the moon. 

Let’s consider living on the moon for a moment. 

Daylight would last about 330 hours and nighttime would last about 330 hours. I would say you could get a pretty good tan from this solid dose of sunshine as there are never any clouds to block it.

If you were on one side the earth would always be a huge ball of blue, white, and brown swirling overhead. I expect that during the lunar nighttime the earth would reflect a lot of light your way causing a semi-light night to be present. If you think a bright moon can be annoying to your dark bedroom, then I suggest moving halfway around the planet. Oh, did I mention that there are never any clouds to block it?

If you were on the side of the moon away from the earth, well, let’s just say it would get pretty dark as you would not even know that the earth existed. One day your Uncle Russ will call you and say, “Man I love seeing all the blue on the earth, especially when there are no clouds.”

You would probably respond, “What’s earth? Why would it be blue? And what are clouds?”

Have a Happy Friday.

(No science teacher was consulted for this perspective, so any inaccuracies in science facts should be kept to yourselves.)