1 00:00:20,420 --> 00:00:27,360 OUR MOON HAS A FACE -- TO US HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. 2 00:00:27,460 --> 00:00:32,966 TO EAST ASIAN CULTURES THE MOON HAS A RABBIT OR TOAD ON IT, HAWAIIANS SEE A TREE, AND IN 3 00:00:33,066 --> 00:00:35,535 INDIA THEY SEE TWO HANDS. 4 00:00:35,635 --> 00:00:40,173 WE HUMANS ALL LOOK UP AT THE SAME MOON, BUT WE DON T ALL SEE IT THE SAME WAY. 5 00:00:40,273 --> 00:00:45,011 THE RABBIT OR TOAD IN THE MOON COMES FROM THE ANCIENT STORY OF CHANG E, A YOUNG WOMAN 6 00:00:45,111 --> 00:00:48,314 WHO STOLE AN ELIXIR OF IMMORTALITY AND SWALLOWED IT. 7 00:00:48,415 --> 00:00:52,052 IN HER ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE SHE JUMPED AND FLOATED TO THE MOON. 8 00:00:52,152 --> 00:00:56,556 SHE MAY HAVE TRANSFORMED INTO A TOAD AS PUNISHMENT, OR A RABBIT TO INDICATE HER BEAUTY, 9 00:00:56,656 --> 00:01:01,261 BUT EITHER WAY THE ANIMAL IS WORKING A MORTER AND PESTLE TO MAKE MORE ELIXIR. 10 00:01:01,361 --> 00:01:07,167 THE POLYNESIAN STORY COMES FROM A GODDESS NAMED HINA WHO MAKES CLOTH FOR THE GODS FROM 11 00:01:07,267 --> 00:01:08,835 THE BANYAN TREE. 12 00:01:08,935 --> 00:01:12,505 IN THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE THE WORD FOR MOON IS MAHINA -- BASED ON HER NAME. 13 00:01:12,605 --> 00:01:17,043 SHE MOVED TO THE MOON BECAUSE IT WAS SO NICE THERE -- AND SITS IN THE SPACE UNDER THE BANYAN 14 00:01:17,143 --> 00:01:18,044 TREE. 15 00:01:18,144 --> 00:01:19,145 BUT THAT S NOT ALL 16 00:01:19,245 --> 00:01:21,614 IN INDIA A MYTHOLOGY DESCRIBES TWO HANDPRINTS. 17 00:01:21,714 --> 00:01:25,418 THESE PRINTS WERE LEFT, ACCORDING TO LEGEND, BY ASTANGI MATA THE MOTHER OF ALL THAT 18 00:01:25,518 --> 00:01:27,120 LIVED AND GREW ON THE EARTH. 19 00:01:27,220 --> 00:01:30,256 SHE WANTED TO GIVE A GIFT TO HER CHILDREN CHANDA AND SURAJ. 20 00:01:30,356 --> 00:01:33,626 SURAJ BECAME THE SUN, AND CHANDRA, THE MOON. 21 00:01:33,726 --> 00:01:38,465 AS MATA REACHED OUT TO TOUCH CHANDRA S FACE ONE LAST TIME, SHE AND LEFT TWO HANDPRINTS 22 00:01:38,565 --> 00:01:40,100 ON THE MOON. 23 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:44,971 THE OTHER MAN IN THE MOON ISN T A FACE LIKE IN THE U.S., INSTEAD IT S A . 24 00:01:45,071 --> 00:01:50,243 MAN, HOLDING A BUNDLE OF STICKS AND THIS SHAPE PREDATES THE DISCOVERY OF THE NEW WORLD, THE 25 00:01:50,343 --> 00:01:54,414 OLD MAN IS REFERENCED IN THE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE AND CHAUCER IN ENGLAND, AS WELL AS IN GERMANY 26 00:01:54,514 --> 00:01:56,216 AND ELSEWHERE. 27 00:01:56,316 --> 00:02:00,653 ALLEGEDLY, HE VIOLATED THE SABBATH AND WAS DOOMED TO SPEND ETERNITY ON THE MOON AS A 28 00:02:00,753 --> 00:02:02,655 REMINDER TO OTHERS. 29 00:02:02,755 --> 00:02:06,759 THE GREAT THING IS, WHEN YOU HEAD TO THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, THE ORIENTATION OF THE MOON APPEARS 30 00:02:06,860 --> 00:02:08,328 TO FLIP! 31 00:02:08,428 --> 00:02:11,865 THE MOON LOOKS DIFFERENT WHICH MEANS WE GET A WHOLE NEW SET OF MYTHS! 32 00:02:11,965 --> 00:02:16,703 FOR EXAMPLE, THE MAORI OF NEW ZEALAND HAD A LEGEND WHERE A WOMAN, RONA FOUGHT WITH HER 33 00:02:16,803 --> 00:02:20,206 HUSBAND AND THE MOON OVERHEARD. 34 00:02:20,306 --> 00:02:23,610 WHEN RONA TRIPS IN THE DARK, SHE CURSES THE MOON OVER AND OVER. 35 00:02:23,710 --> 00:02:27,814 AS PUNISHMENT THE MOON PULLS HER INTO THE SKY TO LIVE WITH HIM -- SHE TRIES TO STOP 36 00:02:27,914 --> 00:02:31,151 HIM BY GRABBING A TREE, AND BOTH END UP IN THE SKY. 37 00:02:31,251 --> 00:02:34,954 EVENTUALLY, RONA REALIZES HER MISTAKES AND SHE AND THE MOON FALL IN LOVE. 38 00:02:35,054 --> 00:02:38,224 THE MOON GIVES HER THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THE TIDES! 39 00:02:38,324 --> 00:02:42,262 I LOVE THESE MYTHS BECAUSE IT HELPS US BETTER UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER -- FOR EXAMPLE, THE 40 00:02:42,362 --> 00:02:47,100 INDIAN SPACE AGENCY NAMED THEIR LUNAR LANDING MISSION -- CHANDRAYAAN, AND THE CHINESE NAMED 41 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,403 THEIRS CHANG E -- BOTH BASED ON THESE MYTHS. 42 00:02:50,503 --> 00:02:54,607 THE BRAIN S TENDENCY TO SEE SHAPES THAT AREN T ACTUALLY THERE IS CALLED PAREIDOLIA. 43 00:02:54,707 --> 00:02:58,611 HUMAN BRAINS WANT TO MAKE SHAPES AND PATTERNS THAT FIT WITH OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD. 44 00:02:58,711 --> 00:03:03,550 IT S WHY WE THINK CLOUDS LOOK LIKE ANIMALS, WHY CARS LOOK LIKE THEY RE SMILING, AND 45 00:03:03,650 --> 00:03:06,886 WHY WE MAKE SHAPES IN THE STARS, OR ON THE MOON. 46 00:03:06,986 --> 00:03:10,557 OUR BRAINS ARE FILLING-IN THE GAPS WITH OUR OWN ASSUMPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES, CREATING 47 00:03:10,657 --> 00:03:15,428 A STORY WHERE OBJECTIVELY THERE ARE SIMPLY RANDOM CRATER IMPACTS, AND COLORED PATCHES 48 00:03:15,528 --> 00:03:17,263 OF LUNAR SOIL. 49 00:03:17,363 --> 00:03:20,800 NEXT TIME YOU RE LOOKING AT LUNA, TRY AND SPOT THE RABBIT, THE WOMAN, THE TWO MEN, THE 50 00:03:20,900 --> 00:03:22,969 TWO HANDS, THE TREE, AND -- OF COURSE -- THE FACE. 51 00:03:23,069 --> 00:03:25,171 ONE PERSON S MAN, IS ANOTHER PERSON S TREE. 52 00:03:25,271 --> 00:03:28,741 I M TRACE AND I M GOING TO GO TO POINT MY FACE AT THE SKY TO TRY AND SEE EVEN MORE 53 00:03:28,841 --> 00:03:32,841 SHAPES -- I HOPE YOU LL JOIN ME AND KEEP LOOKIN UP!