Jakarta –
People living in Australia, Africa, Uruguay, see Moon and star constellations upside down. Very different from what we see. Why is that?
Those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet are used to a very specific view of the Moon. For people who have never traveled outside the Northern Hemisphere, or only in the continents of Asia, Europe, North America, or the Arctic expanses, the view of the Moon doesn’t change much.
However, when moving to the Southern Hemisphere, for example visiting South America, Africa, Australia, or New Zealand, then we will find something strange about the Moon. You know, the Moon will appear upside down to residents of the Northern Hemisphere if we look at it from this area.
Vice versa, residents who are used to the view of the sky in the Southern Hemisphere, when moving to the Northern Hemisphere will see the Moon appear upside down, different from what they are used to seeing.
Different Orientation
Why does the Moon appear upside down from South America, Africa and Australia? That’s because we are on a spherical planet. This also confirms the fact that the Earth is round, not flat.
The picture is, there are two people each standing at the North Pole and South Pole with their heads facing up looking at the Moon. In fact, their views were in opposite directions.
Quoted from Science Focus, people at the North Pole see the Moon with the Mare (dark part of the Moon) running along the ‘top’ of the Moon, and the light areas at the bottom. At the South Pole, Mare is along the lower edge of the Moon, with the lighter region stretching across the top.
So, indeed the Moon looks as if upside down in the Southern Hemisphere compared to the Northern Hemisphere. It’s just a matter of orientation.
Imagine if the Moon orbited in the same plane as the equator. If we are in the Northern Hemisphere, the Moon will always appear in the southern sky because it is the direction of the equator. On the contrary, in the Southern Hemisphere, the Moon will appear in the northern sky.
So, these two observers see the same object from opposite directions and naturally that means one sees the object upside down compared to the other.
Watch Video “China Accelerates Fourth Phase of Lunar Exploration Project“
(rns/rns)
