Why the moon is still such a mystery



It is our constant companion. Influencing many aspects of our culture, thought and being. Ever-present in design, art, music, science, technology, religion, but what is the Moon? It depends who you ask.



The ancient Mesopotamians would speak of Nanna, the god of the Moon and creator of all things. While a present-day cosmologist might describe the stabilising influence of our Earth's tilt. And most of us picture the Moon as being closer than it actually is. Hmm, quite a squeeze for a textbook.



Strangely, the Sun is 400 times further away from the Earth than the Moon and is 400 times its size. This means that, viewed from the Earth, they appear to be exactly the same size. Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov described this natural quirk as 'the most unlikely coincidence imaginable.'



These correlations didn't go unnoticed by early star-gazing cultures. Notably, 108 is an auspicious number for Hindus who count 108 marma points, or sacred places in the body.



Many believe the Moon affects our bodies. We know its push and pull affects the tides and we are organic creatures made largely of water who evolved in an ecosystem reliant on this celestial neighbour.



What about the Moon's effect on our state of mind? The word lunacy is derived from the Latin word lunaticus, meaning moonstruck. Statistics do show a consistent rise in crime rates around a full moon. Scientists prefer to attribute this to convenient light levels for the plying of nefarious activity.



And it's not only our minds in question — the perceived connection between fertility and the cycles of the Moon goes back a long time. Perhaps that's just because the lunar and menstrual cycles correlate so closely.



In the ancient world, the Moon was generally personified as man with the shift to female deities and ideas happening more recently, relatively speaking. If the Moon is female, there has been no shortage of historical characters trying to fathom her mysteries to harness this elusive beacon of the natural world.



And the Moon's many faces continue with some seeing her as a harbinger of doom. The Maori people call the Moon Hina, the man-eater, who was the bringer of death. Then there's the melancholic reflective Moon.



Around the turn of the 18th Century, as we adjusted to the brave new world of science and discovery, artists became increasingly focused on our place in the natural world. Paintings from the likes of Caspar David Friedrich and Joseph Wright of Derby turned to the Moon as a central theme — often with small human figures, their backs to the viewer in quiet reflection.



Finally, in July 1969, we successfully landed two men on the Moon and we discovered what she'd been silently gazing upon for all this time.



So what is the Moon? Male, female, a life support system, or a bringer of death? Inducer of madness, a conspiracy, a symbol of peace? What if it's all these things? Embodying all the light and shade of human experience. It seems the Moon is whatever we choose to see — a constant reflection of us.



词汇表

ever-present [ˌevə ˈpreznt] adj. 无处不在的，始终存在的

Mesopotamian [ˌmesəpəˈteɪmiən] n. 美索不达米亚人；adj. 美索不达米亚的

cosmologist [kɒzˈmɒlədʒɪst] n. 宇宙学家，宇宙论者

stabilising influence [ˈsteɪbəlaɪzɪŋ] 稳定作用

tilt [tɪlt] n. 倾斜，倾斜度，倾角

quirk [kwɜːk] n. 奇事，怪事，巧合

correlation [ˌkɒrəˈleɪʃn] n. 相互关系，关联

star-gazing [ˈstɑː ɡeɪzɪŋ] n. 观星，天体观察

auspicious [ɔːˈspɪʃəs] adj. 吉祥的，吉利的

Hindu [ˈhɪnduː] n. 印度教教徒；adj. 印度教（人）的

marma points [ˈmɑːmə] 玛尔马点（印度传统医学中认为人体的神圣部位）

sacred [ˈseɪkrɪd] adj. 神圣的，庄严的

push and pull 推拉作用，引力

celestial [səˈlestʃl] adj. 天体的，天上的，天空的

lunacy [ˈluːnəsi] n. 精神失常，疯狂

moonstruck [ˈmuːnstrʌk] adj. 发狂的，疯狂的，迷乱的

ply [plaɪ] vt. 从事，经营（某项事业或交易）

nefarious [nɪˈfeəriəs] adj. （活动）邪恶的，不道德的

fertility [fəˈtɪləti] n. 生育能力，繁殖力

menstrual cycles [ˈmenstruəl ˈsaɪklz] 月经周期，女性生理期

correlate [ˈkɒrəleɪt] vi. vt. （使）相互关联，相关

deity [ˈdeɪəti] n. 神，神灵，女神

fathom [ˈfæðəm] vt. 理解，弄清；探索，探究

harness [ˈhɑːnɪs] vt. 利用，掌控，驾驭

elusive [ɪˈluːsɪv] adj. 难以捉摸的，难以理解的

beacon [ˈbiːkən] n. 指路明灯，灯塔，信标

harbinger of doom [ˈhɑːbɪndʒə][duːm] 厄运的预兆，不祥之兆

man-eater [ˈmæn iːtə(r)] n. 食人者，食人动物

bringer of death [ˈbrɪŋə] 死亡的使者

melancholic [ˌmelənˈkɒlɪk] adj. 忧郁的，忧伤的

reflective [rɪˈflektɪv] adj. 沉思的，深思的

gaze (upon) [ɡeɪz] vi. 凝视，注视

inducer [ɪnˈdjuːsə(r)] n. 引诱者，诱导物

conspiracy [kənˈspɪrəsi] n. 阴谋，密谋

embody [ɪmˈbɒdi] vt. 体现，包含

light and shade 光明与阴暗；明暗，光影



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