"Up to April, 1871, the selenographers had recorded 1,600 observations upon the fluctuations of the lights of Plato, and had drawn 37 graphs of individual lights. All graphs and other records were deposited by W.R.Birt in the library of the Royal Astronomical Society, where presumably they are to this day. A Champollion may someday decipher hieroglyphics that may have been flashed from one world to another."
-Charles Fort, New Lands
Introduction
A history of TLP
Civilisation on the moon?
Baron Munchausen's visit to the moon
Introduction
"Transient Lunar Phenomena" (TLP) is a term used to describe anything which is
seen on the moon which is not supposed
to be there, and which contradicts the view that the surface of the moon
is dead and unchanging. TLP includes strange lights which appear and then
subsequently vanish, areas of mist (sometimes coloured) and physical features
which appear to come and go. The subject
remains controversial, with TLP being dismissed as the result of misperception,
or misidentification of craters
by amateurs. TLP have however been observed by distinguished astronomers,
and even Apollo astronauts. The subject is still largely ignored by
astronomers [2]
but I feel that the subject
has become marginally more respectable ever since Patrick Moore saw a TLP and took
an interest in the subject. Moore (who claims to have coined the term "TLP.")
restricts the term to red mists, which he explains (tentatively) as gases rising
from below the lunar surface, possibly as a result of
"moonquakes"[3].
More recently, the subject seems to have been linked to claims of massive ruined
cities on the moon, deduced from blurred photographs. As this latter subject is
(in the words of Charles Fort) most definately "damned", I would prefer to keep
the two subjects distinct, in the hope that astronomers will take TLP seriously.
I confess that I know very little about either of these subjects, and so I have
included several links (bottom of page).[top]
A history of TLP
In 1843, Julius Schmidt, the director of the Athens observatory observed that
the crater Linne, in the Mare Serenitatis
(named after the pioneering taxonomist, Linnaeus) was
several miles in diameter and entirely filled
with shadow, when close to the terminator (the border between the
illuminated and shadowed regions of the face of the moon).
In 1866 he observed a white patch on the floor of the crater,
in which later observers found a much smaller crater pit.
Schmidt believed that this was due to volcanic activity.
Moore [4] states that
this is the earliest documented case of it's kind, and that for years prior to
this,
astronomers were not interested in the moon, but according to the NASA archives
(link below) he is wrong.
In his book, "New Lands, Charles Fort recorded many accounts of TLP, as part of
a long polemic against astronomers. In particular, lights (sometimes flashing)
in
Aristarchus, Proclus, Bessel, Kepler, Carlini, Marius,
Plato and the
Mare
Crisium ,
black spots in Plinius, Littrow and
Copernicus,
"two straight lines of
light, between
them a dark band that
was covered with luminous points" in the western crater of Messier,
a fine line
of light "like a luminous cable" drawn across the crater Eudoxus,
a similar
sighting in Aristarchus, A "black wall" in Aristillus,
a shining triangle in Plato, changes in
the appearance of Linne, a new object in Hyginus
(named Hyginus N, before its subsequent disappearance), reddish mist in
Hercules, Plato and Cassini,
shafts of light projecting from the moon and a
frequently sighted bright spot to the west of Picard. Picard
seems to feature
in the more
recent claims of artifacts on the moon.
Fort observes that a great many of the TLP reports which he had heard
about, took place in the north west quadrat of the moon (the top right of
the moon as seen from the northern hemisphere).
Recently astronomers have observed meteorites made entirely of ice
entering the earths atmosphere (vindicating another of Fort's theories)
[12]
A recent letter in the New Scientist suggested that the "coloured
vapours"
seen on the surface of the moon could be caused by ice meteorites coliding with
the surface of the moon and vapourising giving rise to a rainbow effect
[13].
More recently, other astronomers have disputed the evidence for ice meteorites,
describing it as "instrumental artifact" [14].
In true fortean fashion, this subject is not quite ready to be shoe-horned into
current definitions of "reality".
The following is taken from Coleridge's
"Rhyme of the ancient mariner",
around the time that the mariner meets The White Goddess
in the form of The lady of Death in Life:
"From the sails the dew did drip-
Till clomb above the eastern bar
The horned moon, with one bright star
Within the nether tip."
"However, it may be that the general style of architecture upon
the moon is Byzantine, very likely, or not so likely domed with glass, giving
the dome-effect that has so often been commented upon."
During the mid 1830's, the New York Sun reported that Sir John Herschel
(the son of Sir William Herschel, see link below)
had built the most
powerful telescope known, using "hydro-oxygen reflectors", in his lab in Cape Town.
The telescope was even capable of viewing objects on
the moon, as small as 18 inches in diameter. The reports, were
written by Dr Andrew Grant, Herschel's assistant, who said that forests,
flocks of red and white birds, herds
of "diminutive bison" had all been observed on the moon, along with
strange beavers which lacked tails and walked on their
hind legs. There were even people with bat like wings, who had built
villages and pyramids. Observations ceased when a fire destroyed
the observatory The story was believed by many other newspapers, and a group of Professors
from Yale. The mention of Herschel's name gave the story credibility.
It was of course a hoax. Sir John Herschel knew nothing about
it, and he had no assistant named Grant. The story had been made up by
journalist named Richard Adams Locke (a relative of John Locke)
[5].[top]
This verse was apparently inspired by William Herschel's
discovery of "three volcanoes in the
moon"[8]
(William Herschel was the discoverer of Uranus*)
An old picture of The man in the moon
shows stars within the crescent moon [1].
The NASA archives (see link below)
quote an account of
a star seen within the crescent moon from 1580. [top]
Civilisation on the moon?
Fort also records claims of cities upon
the moon:
Ex Nasa employee Ken Johnston has accused NASA of covering up photographic evidence of Alien artefacts on the moon. Full story and photographs at
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1091/566/NASA_Whistleblower:_Alien_Moon_Cities_Exist.html
. The photos fromAmerican and Russianspace missions, include a glowing crater in Aristarchus,a perfect pyramid and several other objects which appear to be man made. A sceptic might suggest that some of these objects are natural rock formations, and others are in fact man made,space junk from earlier missions. One ofthe artefacts in a photo tken by a Russian probe, resembles a communist era post hole auger. Had it perhaps been used for soil sampling?.
Baron Munchausen's visit to the moon
In "Singular travels, campaigns and adventures of Baron Munchaussen". ,
the Baron visits the moon twice, the first time
by vine (after spending the day herding bees
out to pasture!).
He returns to earth by lowering himself down on a rope tied to
the point of the crescent moon. This story sounds a bit
shamanic .
Another time his ship is blown there during a storm off Tahiti, and he
meets the inhabitants of the moon, who are known as "cooking animals",
because of their eating habits: they feast once a month (becoming full!) and
fast the rest of the time. They also have detachable heads and
eyes ,
are covered from head to foot in scales, grow on trees,
have only one finger on each hand and
go into battle riding three headed vultures, armed with giant asparagus spears,
and mushrooms for shields. Some of this is familiar lunar symbolism,
but other things are obscure (why only one finger?).
In the film version by Terry Gilliam
The stories were first published anonymously, and then added to
by later
authors.
The story of the baron's first journey to the moon is said to have
been inspired by
an old Serbian story entitled "The biggest liar in the world",
and also by "The Man in the Moone",
by Bishop Francis Godwin..
(Click here for similar stories from
Scandinavia and
Ireland ).
Many other ideas in the stories have been borrowed from
earlier folktales.
The original stories were probably written by Rudolph Eriche Raspe
(who incidentally had red hair ),
to satirise the life of
Hieronymous Karl Friederich Freiherr von Munchausen, who was still alive at the
time that they were published. Raspe, a former freemason, who had fled up
from his creditors in Prussia, following a dishonourable career in science,
punctuated by embezlement and fraud, came to England,
where he was befriended by Matthew Boulton, one of the founder members of the
Birmingham Lunar Society*** . Boulton had just
industrialised Birmingham (although William Herschell was also apparently responsible-
see note below) and had turned his attention to the Cornish tin
industry. Raspe a former geologist was put in charge of modernising the mines,
and so he was able to disappear for a few years. During this time, he probably
wrote the stories of Baron Munchausen****[9].
The badge of the tin miners guild of the West Country was three rabbits or
hares (click here for picture).
But I digress (loads).[top]
*William Herschel lived for 81 earth years or one Uranian year. He also believed in life on the moon[15]. In case you're wondering, Uranus was the Greek god of the sky, and the name is sometimes spelt (and pronounced) Ouranos. Herschel had originally intended to call it "George" in honour of the King, and for many years it was known as "Herschel". Astrologers associate the planet with sudden change and revolution, and say that Uranus had no influence prior to it's discovery (which is just as well, because earlier astrologers should have known about it if it did). The French, American, Industrial and Agricultural revolutions all occurred around the time of its discovery. Uranus can actually be seen sometimes with the naked eye, but it is so faint that it was probably never recognised as a planet before Herschel.
