The Far Side of The Moon

A recent report about a space matter caught my attention. Up until sixty years ago, when the Russian cosmonauts first circled the moon, it was generally thought that the far side of the moon, the side we never see from earth, was similar to the near side, the side we see each evening.    But with newer technology, and a new breed of spacecraft, and better photographic equipment, we now are told that the two sides of the moon are very different indeed. Scientists are excited about this discovery and are at a loss to explain why this should be. It interests me for a reason other than science. Stay with me for a moment.

The side we see is about 31% cratered. (They already knew that.) But here is the part they’ve only just found out. The far side that we don’t see, is only 1% cratered. So what! you may say. Well this is a good thing for a couple of reasons. Both of which benefit us.   Firstly, the albedo of the moon. (Albedo is Latin for whiteness) This is the reflectivity of the moon’s surface when the sun strikes the moon, enabling us to see the moon and enjoy its light. The moon’s surface, its soil, colour and topography mean that it can only reflect between 3 – 12% of sunlight.  (Snow has a very high albedo, it reflects 95% of the suns rays)  All those craters on our side of the moon make it a perfect reflector for the sun’s rays to bounce off to give us light at night. Did you ever look at the tail lights of your car or bicycle? The lenses are dimpled, rutted, uneven. This diffuses the light so that it doesn’t appear to bright for the driver behind you. If the side of the moon facing us was like the far side, the dark side, with only 1% craters, the albedo would probably be too reflective, and be far too bright for us at night.

A lot of animal life is nocturnal and dependent upon moonlight for its survival. We ourselves are governed by the night season for our sleep. If the moon was ridiculously bright we would all have a problem. Not only that, but because the moon has a quite low reflectivity rate it means it absorbs most of the harmful radiation that come along with the sun’s rays, rather than reflecting it earthward. 

Isn’t our creator God just so thoughtful for us on earth. He gives us the sun by day and the moon and the stars by night.  Genesis 1:14-18 “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs for  signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’ and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.”  Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.”

What a marvellous considerate designer is our Heavenly Father. 

- Pastor David Goudy