NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

Hubble Resolves Expiration Date For Green Cheese Moon

Using the new camera on the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://hubblesite.o…answer.php.id=77&cat =topten ], astronomers have been able to confirm that the Moon is made of green cheese [ http://www.planetfu…]. The telling clue was the resolution of a marked date after which the Moon [ http://www.nineplan…] may go bad. Controversy [ http://peace.saumag…GPWeiten/C1Intro/Gre enCheese.html ] still exists, however, over whether the date resolved is truly an expiration date [ http://www.consumer…expiration_dates.htm ] or just a "sell by" date. "To be cautious, we should completely devour the Moon by tomorrow," a spokesperson advised. Happy April Fool's Day from the folks at APOD [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. The above image [ http://nssdc.gsfc.n…ra9_b001.html ] (slightly altered) was actually taken in 1965 by the Ranger 9 [ http://nssdc.gsfc.n…MasterCatalog?sc=196 5-023A ] probe minutes before impact. The popular Moon is made of Green Cheese [ http://www.straight…] myth can be traced back almost 500 years. It has been used historically in context to indicate a claim so clearly false that no one -- not even April Fools [ http://wilstar.com/…] -- will believe it.

Ranger Project [ http://nssdc.gsfc.n…], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov…]

1965

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Moon

Ranger

Ranger 9

moon

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

1965

http://antwrp.gsfc.…

SPD-APOD-ap060401