15th Century Astronomers Saw Activity, Lights on Moon’s Dark Side
Fifty years ago, NASA published a catalog of lunar phenomena based on the observations of early astronomers dating back to the 15th century. Even after vetting the reports and qualifying their accuracy with secondary sources, NASA found records of bizarre sightings on the dark side of the moon, including flickering spots, bright flashes, and moving lights. What could account for these strange observations?
It’s debatable who first conceived of the telescope, though it’s widely accepted that it was first invented at the start of the 1600s. And while the first models were rudimentary, three-lens spyglasses, the technology quickly progressed over the following decades thanks to the work of Galileo and Kepler.
By adding a combination of convex lenses, the two were able to drastically increase the magnification capability of early telescopes, allowing observation of the cosmos like never before. It’s also evident from his notes that Galileo was able to view Jupiter’s moons, meaning he must have had a pretty clear view of our lunar surface.
Reading through the NASA archive, we notice odd entries in the 1600s beginning with a “bright starlike point,” recorded by several New Englanders observing the dark side of the moon.
Nearly a century later, Bianchini reports a “track of ruddy light, like a beam, crossing the middle of the obscure (shadowed) area (crater in darkness),” while observing the Plato crater in the Monte Alpes mountain range.
Another report cites “Four bright spots. Peculiar behavior of terminator” (the terminator is where the dark side of the moon meets the bright side).
Nearing the 1800s, Piazzi reports “Bright spots on dark side, seen during five different lunations.” And in 1821, Gruithuisen says he saw “brilliant flashing spots,” on the dark side.
Some explain these strange lights as the product of solar flares or coronal mass ejections, which produce sparks in the shadowy regions of the lunar surface. These sparks are said to be as impactful as a meteorite strike, allegedly creating the observed flashes.
But in the records there appear to be certain areas with recurring illuminations, particularly around the Aristarchus crater. “Blinking lights” on the dark side, a “mingling of all kinds of colors in small spots,” and a “starlike light” persist over hundreds of years, even during eclipses.
NASA makes brief mention of these dark side observations, saying they appear frequently in earlier observations, and writing them off as a lack of light gathering power from telescopes of the time.
But telescopes became more sophisticated over those centuries, especially during the 19th century when lenses were increasingly larger and more refined. By this period, astronomy was far enough advanced that dismissing these observations as primitive would be insulting.
And the strange lights observed around Aristarchus are continually observed in varying colors, even by NASA’s own observations from astronomers at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Explanations for these colored bands of light vary from high albedo – a measure of reflectivity of a surface – to a seepage of radioactive gas.
But for those wary of NASA’s endless supply of inadequate justifications, these observations add to a growing list of strange phenomena and apparent obfuscation of what may really be there. Should we continue to believe NASA’s mundane explanations?
About the Author
The Betty and Barney Hill Abduction
On the evening of September 19, 1961, Barney and Betty Hill, along with their dog Delsey, were returning to their Portsmouth, New Hampshire, home after a short vacation to Niagara Falls. They were traveling on Highway 3, just south of Lancaster, when they saw a bright light in the sky. Betty, who was in the passenger seat, watched the light move lower into the sky. At first, Barney thought it was probably an airplane. Betty, who had heard of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), was sure she was looking at a flying saucer.
The Hills stopped to get a closer look at the object and let Delsey out for a short walk. Barney remained curious, but just a little frightened. He got out of the car and used his binoculars, but still could not figure out what he was looking at. He stopped the car a few more times on the way home. He described seeing lights of all different colors and rows of windows on the object. He described the object as “pancake shaped.” At one point, he approached the object and could see several occupants inside, which scared him so badly he ran quickly back to the car to join Betty where she was waiting for him.
The couple then heard buzzing sounds and felt tingling sensations throughout their bodies, but ultimately, they drove home, where they went straight to bed exhausted. They did not wake up until late the following afternoon. They then realized the four-hour trip home from Niagara Falls had taken them seven hours. Betty noticed the dress she was wearing was torn in several places and had a pinkish powder on it. The powder was later examined by five different laboratories. None of them could identify the substance.
The toes of Barney’s good dress shoes were scuffed to the point he could no longer wear them. The binoculars strap was broken and looked like it had been cut. Both Barney and Betty were wearing watches at the time of their unusual encounter. Both watches quit working and never worked again. Shiny, concentric circles appeared on the trunk of the car that seemed to have some sort of magnetic connection. They noted a strange reaction from a compass after it was placed near the circles.
At her sister’s urging, Betty called the nearby Pease Air Force base to report the incident. As Betty and Barney each recalled the incident, they became convinced they had been abducted by extraterrestrials.
The Betty and Barney Hill abduction story was the first of its kind, but certainly not the last. Although the incident happened more than 50 years ago, it is still being discussed and analyzed today. Were the Hills really abducted? If so, what happened to them during their time on the spaceship? What and who did they see? How did they communicate? Where were the extraterrestrials from? Let’s find out what exactly happened in the aftermath of this historical milestone event.
The Air Force Investigation
Barney would have preferred to just keep the experience quiet and between the two of them, fearing that he and Betty would be viewed as “eccentric.” Betty won their brief argument on the issue and on September 21, she called the Air Force to report their experience. Major Paul Henderson visited them in person and wrote a report of the interview dated September 26, 1961. It’s unclear whether or not Henderson viewed the Hills as credible; a National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) report concludes that there was “insufficient data in the Air Force files.”
