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Dark side of the Moon: Music, myths and aliens | Dark side of the Moon: Music, myths and aliens |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A Chinese robot has started exploring the far side of the Moon. | |
The Chang'e-4 probe will explore the surface and carry out geological experiments. China plans to follow this up with further missions to return Moon rock to laboratories on Earth. | |
But it's not just scientists who are fascinated with the Moon's hidden face. | |
Musicians, film-makers and, of course, conspiracy theorists have all been inspired by that secret, barren landscape. | Musicians, film-makers and, of course, conspiracy theorists have all been inspired by that secret, barren landscape. |
'There is no dark side of the Moon, really. As a matter of fact it's all dark.' | |
For music fans, the phrase Dark Side of the Moon will forever conjure up Pink Floyd's 1973 concept album. | For music fans, the phrase Dark Side of the Moon will forever conjure up Pink Floyd's 1973 concept album. |
In reality, the far side of the Moon is not dark - we never see it because the Moon orbits the Earth at around the same rate it spins. All parts of the Moon receive sunlight. | |
It's likely that the members of Pink Floyd weren't referring to this phenomenon of Tidal Locking with their album title, though. | It's likely that the members of Pink Floyd weren't referring to this phenomenon of Tidal Locking with their album title, though. |
The Dark Side of the Moon, here, is a metaphor for mental illness. | The Dark Side of the Moon, here, is a metaphor for mental illness. |
The Moon has been thought to have an effect on events - and moods - here on Earth for thousands of years. | The Moon has been thought to have an effect on events - and moods - here on Earth for thousands of years. |
Ancient Babylonians recorded the phases of the Moon on clay tablets. | Ancient Babylonians recorded the phases of the Moon on clay tablets. |
But it wasn't until Isaac Newton identified gravity in the 18th Century that we began to understand its effect on tides. | But it wasn't until Isaac Newton identified gravity in the 18th Century that we began to understand its effect on tides. |
In 1959 a Russian probe took the first photographs of the Moon's hidden face, and it was first seen by the naked eye almost ten years later when American astronauts flew past. | In 1959 a Russian probe took the first photographs of the Moon's hidden face, and it was first seen by the naked eye almost ten years later when American astronauts flew past. |
The 'Castle' on the Moon | The 'Castle' on the Moon |
There seems to be something tantalising about the hidden side of the Moon, though. The thought that it's always there, circling the Earth, yet just out of reach. | There seems to be something tantalising about the hidden side of the Moon, though. The thought that it's always there, circling the Earth, yet just out of reach. |
And that's sparked several conspiracy theories over the years. | And that's sparked several conspiracy theories over the years. |
There have been claims that astronauts saw a secret lunar base there - even some kind of castle. And some have even gone so far as to suggest aliens were encountered on the lunar surface. | There have been claims that astronauts saw a secret lunar base there - even some kind of castle. And some have even gone so far as to suggest aliens were encountered on the lunar surface. |
Nasa, unsurprisingly, says there's no truth to any of these theories. | |
It does seem possible, though, that at the height of the Cold War between the USA and Russia, both sides considered using the far side of the Moon for a show of force. | It does seem possible, though, that at the height of the Cold War between the USA and Russia, both sides considered using the far side of the Moon for a show of force. |
Reports claim there were plans to detonate a nuclear bomb there as a show of strength. Thankfully even if that's true, the idea never got anywhere close to lift-off. | Reports claim there were plans to detonate a nuclear bomb there as a show of strength. Thankfully even if that's true, the idea never got anywhere close to lift-off. |
Soul-eating aliens? | Soul-eating aliens? |
Writers and film-makers have been inspired by the far side of the Moon, too, though none seem to have produced anything with the longevity of Pink Floyd's masterpiece. | Writers and film-makers have been inspired by the far side of the Moon, too, though none seem to have produced anything with the longevity of Pink Floyd's masterpiece. |
A 1990 horror film entitled The Dark Side of the Moon tells the story of a group of astronauts who discover an abandoned shuttle there. They later discover it went missing in the Bermuda Triangle and is home to an alien which feeds on human souls. | A 1990 horror film entitled The Dark Side of the Moon tells the story of a group of astronauts who discover an abandoned shuttle there. They later discover it went missing in the Bermuda Triangle and is home to an alien which feeds on human souls. |
We haven't had the chance to watch, but its average score of 2.6 on Rotten Tomatoes seems about right. | We haven't had the chance to watch, but its average score of 2.6 on Rotten Tomatoes seems about right. |
In literature, the website Goodreads returns more than 200 results for books entitled Dark Side of the Moon, including a 1976 tale from children's author William Corlett about the journey of a lonely, troubled astronaut. | In literature, the website Goodreads returns more than 200 results for books entitled Dark Side of the Moon, including a 1976 tale from children's author William Corlett about the journey of a lonely, troubled astronaut. |
So whatever the Chang'e-4 probe tells us about rock formations and craters, it seems certain that the hidden face of the Moon will continue to exert a gravitational pull on imaginations here on planet Earth. | So whatever the Chang'e-4 probe tells us about rock formations and craters, it seems certain that the hidden face of the Moon will continue to exert a gravitational pull on imaginations here on planet Earth. |
Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. | Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. |
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here. | Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here. |
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