Prompt Cast
The Dark Side of the Moon: Explained
TLDR The dark side of the moon is not actually dark, but rather turquoise in color. It is the result of the moon's rotation and gravitational pull between the Earth and the moon. The near side of the moon looks different from the far side due to differences in crust thickness and volcanic activity.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The podcast episode titled "Is there a dark side of the moon?" from "Stuff You Should Know" begins with ads for DashPass by DoorDash and Squarespace.
03:26
The dark side of the moon is the side of the moon that we never see, but it is often confused with the far side of the moon, which is sometimes the same and sometimes different from the dark side.
07:14
The dark side of the moon is actually turquoise, and it is a result of the moon's rotation on its own axis at the same rate that it rotates around the Earth, which is why we only see the near side of the moon.
11:21
Different parts of the moon are exposed to sunlight over the course of 29.5 days due to its rotation, and the gravitational pull between the Earth and the moon is what causes the synchronicity and tidal bulge.
15:11
The phases of the moon are counterintuitive, with a new moon occurring when the moon is between the Earth and the sun, and a full moon occurring when the Earth is between the sun and the moon, and this is because the moon glows due to its exposure to sunlight.
18:49
The far side of the moon looks different from the near side because the near side has a thinner crust and was heated by the Earth's gravity, causing lava to flow up and form the Sea of Tranquility, while the far side has a thicker crust and did not experience the same volcanic activity.
22:39
The orbit of the moon around the Earth is elliptical, so sometimes we can see more than just the near side of the moon, and if the moon's rotation and orbit were not synchronized, we would see portions of the moon that we've never seen before.
26:30
The hosts discuss the possibility of there being no mankind in three billion years and mention the concept of the great filter, but then transition into talking about receiving positive feedback from astronomers and the upcoming listener mail segment.
30:18
The hosts read and respond to a listener email about playing Monopoly and receiving a correction about electromagnetism.
Categories:
Society & Culture
