China Lands on Dark side of the Moon: Fake news?

[Cyril Haearn]

How can we be sure about the landing, can anyone check if it really happened?
May I suggest using the term 'backside of the moon'?

[merseymouth]

hi There, North or South? May depend on the optical instrument you view the moon through.
An astronomical telescope shows the image inverted, terrestrial telescopes & binoculars employ a right erection element.
So take your pick.
I'd love to have heard Sir Patrick Moore's view on this, sadly missed. Must be having a G & T with Edmund Halley by now?
TTFN MM

[661-Pete]

well they had better watch out for ....


[youtube]PlSttncY0BM[/youtube]

Love the little detail that sound can carry on the Moon (which has no atmosphere). Apparently the commonest mistake in sci-fi movies.

[Mick F]

The north pole on Earth is normally shown on globes and maps at the top. Magnetically and geographically.

The earth magnetic and geographical poles are orientated the same way.

From Wiki:
"The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defines the geographic north pole of a planet or any of its satellites in the Solar System as the planetary pole that is in the same celestial hemisphere, relative to the invariable plane of the Solar System, as Earth's North pole"

There's little mention of magnetic poles for astronomical bodies - mainly because for most of them we've no idea whether they've got one or what direction it lies in.
So I 'assume' that means that references to the poles of astronomical object use the geographical sense by default since it's actually defined.

Yes, that's the norm I suppose.

Trouble is "pole" is a magnetic term, not a geographical one, and as Earth's pole is north, we take it for granted that "north" is north ............... but that's being a tad pedantic maybe.
It would be good if someone could clear this magnetic fact up.

[661-Pete]

Although the word "pole" is used in description of some magnetic fields, it is not a "magnetic term" as such: its main meaning is simply a fixed point about which other points of an object rotate. In the case of a planet it refers to the points where the axis of rotation intersects the surface.

The Moon has a very weak magnetic field compared to the Earth's, and unlike the Earth's it is not dipolar in form: it is merely generated from residual magnetism in rocks of the Moon's crust. So the Moon has no magnetic poles: when we speak of the Moon's poles we are merely referring to its rotation.

Quite a lot can be deduced about the magnetic fields of remote astronomical bodies - stars especially - merely by observation of the light from those objects. Also for all the planets and moons in the Solar System which have been visited by space probes, details of their magnetic fields are known.

I don't know if any magnetic data has been released yet for Ultima Thule - but it's unlikely to have a magnetic field. None was detected on Pluto...

[Cunobelin]

Title corrected. I do wish people wouldn't perpetuate the mistake of calling it the "Dark Side". Any part of the Moon can be on the Dark side, depending on what time of the Lunar day it is...

Exactly what Roger said!

[661-Pete]

Title corrected. I do wish people wouldn't perpetuate the mistake of calling it the "Dark Side". Any part of the Moon can be on the Dark side, depending on what time of the Lunar day it is...

Exactly what Roger said!

They even got it wrong on the BBC News last night. And surely Auntie is always right - eh?

[Mick F]

However ..................
The near side of the Moon when it's night time, it's not as dark as the far side of the Moon when it's night time. The difference is due to the reflection of Earth but varies with the phases of Earth of course.