This picture [
http://images.jsc.n…], taken as the Apollo 17 [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] astronauts orbited the Moon in 1972, depicts the stark lunar surface [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] around the Eratosthenes and Copernicus [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] craters. Images of a Moon devoid of life are familiar to denizens of the space age [
http://lunar.arc.na…]. Contrary to this modern perception, life on the Moon was reported in August of 1835 [
http://www.historyb…] in a series of sensational stories first published by the New York Sun - apparently intended to improve the paper's circulation. These descriptions of lunar life [
http://www.bibliogr…] received broad credence and became one of the most spectacular hoaxes in history [
http://www.lhup.edu…]. Supposedly based on telescopic observations, the stories featured full, lavish accounts [
http://storyteller.…] of a Moon with oceans and beaches, teeming with plant and animal life and climaxing with reported sightings of winged, furry, human-like creatures resembling bats [
http://www.cccoe.k1…] ! Within a month the trick had been revealed but the newspaper continued to enjoy an increased readership. For now ... have a safe [
http://www.tpwd.sta…] and happy Halloween [
http://www.stignati…] !
Explanation
This picture [
http://images.jsc.n…], taken as the Apollo 17 [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] astronauts orbited the Moon in 1972, depicts the stark lunar surface [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] around the Eratosthenes and Copernicus [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] craters. Images of a Moon devoid of life are familiar to denizens of the space age [
http://lunar.arc.na…]. Contrary to this modern perception, life on the Moon was reported in August of 1835 [
http://www.historyb…] in a series of sensational stories first published by the New York Sun - apparently intended to improve the paper's circulation. These descriptions of lunar life [
http://www.bibliogr…] received broad credence and became one of the most spectacular hoaxes in history [
http://www.lhup.edu…]. Supposedly based on telescopic observations, the stories featured full, lavish accounts [
http://storyteller.…] of a Moon with oceans and beaches, teeming with plant and animal life and climaxing with reported sightings of winged, furry, human-like creatures resembling bats [
http://www.cccoe.k1…] ! Within a month the trick had been revealed but the newspaper continued to enjoy an increased readership. For now ... have a safe [
http://www.tpwd.sta…] and happy Halloween [
http://www.stignati…] !
Explanation
