Crescent Moon & Star--Alien Base?

[CAllenDoudna]

An idea struck me last night: Old Western Literature and Islamic Culture portray the Crescent Moon with a star in the dark part of the Moon. Science has understandably always dismissed this as an ignorant folk myth when it was thought the Moon actually changed its shape. But suppose sometime in the Middle Ages people actually did see what looked like a star in the dark shaddow of the Crescent Moon. It might have been a volcano--though the Moon is too small for volcanoes. The other possibility is it could have been a base for the observation of the Earth. When in use at night the lights would have been on and it would have appeared as a star within the arms of the Crescent Moon.

This Base probably was not used very often as human cultures were technologically backward and they could skip a century or two and not miss much. The Arabs had excellent viewing conditions and if it was first noticed about the time of the Prophet Mohammed they no doubt took it as an omen and so it is widely displayed in the Islamic World. Europeans had less favorable viewing conditions and so did not notice it as often and merely made poetic reference in fictional literature.

If there was such a Base it was closed down about the time the telescope was invented. It would have been quite well dismantled--but it would seem the tracks they would have left would still be there.

 

[MeteorWayne]

:roll: Moved to proper forum... :roll:

 

[a_lost_packet_]

An idea struck me last night: Old Western Literature and Islamic Culture portray the Crescent Moon with a star in the dark part of the Moon. Science has understandably always dismissed this as an ignorant folk myth when it was thought the Moon actually changed its shape. But suppose sometime in the Middle Ages people actually did see what looked like a star in the dark shaddow of the Crescent Moon. It might have been a volcano--though the Moon is too small for volcanoes. The other possibility is it could have been a base for the observation of the Earth. When in use at night the lights would have been on and it would have appeared as a star within the arms of the Crescent Moon.

This Base probably was not used very often as human cultures were technologically backward and they could skip a century or two and not miss much. The Arabs had excellent viewing conditions and if it was first noticed about the time of the Prophet Mohammed they no doubt took it as an omen and so it is widely displayed in the Islamic World. Europeans had less favorable viewing conditions and so did not notice it as often and merely made poetic reference in fictional literature.

If there was such a Base it was closed down about the time the telescope was invented. It would have been quite well dismantled--but it would seem the tracks they would have left would still be there.

Tasty plaid gopher taxis frequently purple bicycle pumps fountain pens.

And that's how babies are made..

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

If there was such a Base it was closed down about the time the telescope was invented. It would have been quite well dismantled--but it would seem the tracks they would have left would still be there.

Well they musta covered their tracks pretty well too !! Otherwise the LRO would have spotted them by now.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/n ... -year.html

 

[StarRider1701]

Old Western Literature and Islamic Culture portray the Crescent Moon with a star in the dark part of the Moon. But suppose sometime in the Middle Ages people actually did see what looked like a star in the dark shaddow of the Crescent Moon. It might have been a volcano--though the Moon is too small for volcanoes. The other possibility is it could have been a base for the observation of the Earth. When in use at night the lights would have been on and it would have appeared as a star within the arms of the Crescent Moon.

The question is: "would extraterrestial watchers be that incompetent?" If they are hiding on the moon and watching from that distance the reason would have to be one of non-interference or non-infleuence. Wouldn't they be trying NOT to be seen? Sorry, it dont make sense. Perhaps what was seen was a star just past the edge of the dark moon and when the actual view was drawn or sewn or carved or whatever, it was accidentally or purposfully placed closer in so that it looked like it was inside the moon. Probably looked cooler that way to the original artist and everyone else copied him. A much more reasonable theory.


BTW - Wonderful bit of total nonsense, lost. How does this relate to the topic at hand again?

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

BTW - Wonderful bit of total nonsense, lost. How does this relate to the topic at hand again?

Asked and answered.

 

[ZenGalacticore]

..."they could skip a century or two and not miss much..." :lol:

How come Europe wouldn't have good enough visibility to not see it so often?

It doesn't rain and snow ALL the time in Europe, especially in Mediterranean Europe.

 

[ZenGalacticore]

BTW - Wonderful bit of total nonsense, lost. How does this relate to the topic at hand again?

Asked and answered.

:lol:

 

[aphh]

Well they musta covered their tracks pretty well too !! Otherwise the LRO would have spotted them by now.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/n ... -year.html

Just a quick note, that we are not in control of LRO. Handful of selected people are. This is one reason why I propose an open-source purely citizen controlled lunar orbiter and reconnaissance mission to the Moon.

Private citizens and entities need to accept responsibility for lunar exploration too. It can not all be governments' responsibility only.

 

[undidly]

The "star" does not have to be ON the moon.
It could be an alien craft "parked" between the moon and the middle east ,illuminated by the sun,to impress the locals.
It could move or flash at the command of one of the prophets who is in contact.
This true prophet who talks to god would be able to start a religion ,for the benefit or amusement of the aliens.

Some flags have many "stars" between the non illuminated side of the moon and Earth.

Only muslims have the "star" but Christians had the two way radio,"the ark of the covenant".
Check the bible about the ark,touched by someone without authority who was electrocuted.

I am an atheist,not a religious nut case.

Maybe an atheist nut case?.

Geometry is easy.

 

[CAllenDoudna]

Skyrider 1701 wrote: The question is: "would extraterrestial watchers be that incompetent?" If they are hiding on the moon and watching from that distance the reason would have to be one of non-interference or non-infleuence. Wouldn't they be trying NOT to be seen?

You assume too much of current Left/Environmentalist human thinking. One need not be totally undetected to not interfere. A photographer with a telephoto lense need not hide from wildlife, and even a blind is easy enough to spot. Also, as H. G. Wells pointed out in "The War of the Worlds", aliens might have much more to fear from us contaminating them than vice-versa. So what if we sometimes saw a light on the Moon? What exactly were Mideveal humans going to do about it? And what great technological advance were we going to gain from seeing a tiny speck of light on the Moon? Just as animals see a blind but accept it as "natural" and go about their lives so Mideveal humans would accept the tiny speck of light on the Moon as a star and think no more on the matter. Why should the aliens have to go to any more trouble than necessary?

But if they were keeping track of us well enough to learn we had discovered the telescope then it would be best to dismantle their base before we got good enough to detect it.

 

[origin]

Just a quick note, that we are not in control of LRO. Handful of selected people are. This is one reason why I propose an open-source purely citizen controlled lunar orbiter and reconnaissance mission to the Moon.

Private citizens and entities need to accept responsibility for lunar exploration too. It can not all be governments' responsibility only.

Good point. Perhaps your country's space agency could donate the hardware and software. I certainly don't feel like paying for a bunch of bozos to look at the moon for alien bases and cheese factories.

 

[origin]

The "star" does not have to be ON the moon.
It could be an alien craft "parked" between the moon and the middle east ,illuminated by the sun,to impress the locals.

Or maybe there was a hole in the moon and it was a star behind the moon. Or maybe there was a very little star on the moon. Or maybe there was a very big firefly on the moon. Or just maybe it is a freaking flag and you can't really read anything into it.

I am an atheist,not a religious nut case.
Maybe an atheist nut case?.

That is really not fair to tempt people like that....

 

[onesmallstep]

For what it's worth...On my way to work on the morning of September 11, 2001 I happened to look up and noticed that the planet Saturn was very close to the crescent moon. Of course Saturn wasn't inside the crescent, just close. That's interesting, I thought...we all know what happened later that day. :shock:

 

[aphh]

Good point. Perhaps your country's space agency could donate the hardware and software. I certainly don't feel like paying for a bunch of bozos to look at the moon for alien bases and cheese factories.

You don't have to contribute to anything that you don't feel like participating. But you still felt the need to participate already. We are not bozos either.

We are highly qualified scientists and philosophers after the most fundamental questions. Governments can not answer them all.

Government agencies can be highly incompetent, unreliable, politically motivated and inefficient. This is why competent private citizens need to accept responsibility for exploration too. Otherwise we are not getting anywhere.

 

[Yuri_Armstrong]

It's an interesting story, for sure, but I'd be willing to bet they thought the combination of a star with a crescent moon was visually tasteful.

 

[1of6Billion]

Let ME be the spoil sport who brings up that star is probably in that spot for esthetic reasons :lol:

 

[StarRider1701]

Let ME be the spoil sport who brings up that star is probably in that spot for esthetic reasons :lol:

Actually, I said that the original artist probably put the star inside the cresent because he thought it looked cool. A far more reasonable answer than an alien moon base.

Although you are correct, an occasional light on the moon would not have been harmful or interfere in any way with human culture that long ago.

Frankly guys, I think its bad form to make fun of a new idea or new poster asking a question. Besides, no one can actually proove the idea is wrong. All we can really say is that it is unlikely. At least I tried to provide a more likely reason for such an artists depection.

 

[CAllenDoudna]

Don't worry, I learned long ago that other people will criticize my ideas and if it hurts my feelings, well, big boys don't cry.

 

[a_lost_packet_]

Don't worry, I learned long ago that other people will criticize my ideas and if it hurts my feelings, well, big boys don't cry.

]

If your statement didn't lend itself so well to criticism, there would be little of it.

You went from making an unfounded assumption regarding iconography all the way to inventing an entire history for an alien Moon base including them closing their base, presciently, just before the telescope was invented...

I'm sorry any remarks I or anyone else has made could have hurt your feelings. But, to put it simply: Your post hurt my head.

 

[undidly]

To CAllenDoudna.

I do not understand why there should be a base ON the moon.
Any measurements can be made from space and the alien craft be even more visible from Earth and be in front of the moon to impress the locals.
Only muslims have a "star"in front of the moon.
Muslims have a holy meteorite in their cubic religious building.
A gift from the aliens?.
Was the cubic religious building inspired by the BORG?.

On the flag the illuminated part of the moon is wrongly drawn.
The points of the crescent and the center of the moon should be in a straight line.
The dark area is too small.