Moon Illusions

This file was prepared at: The Wrong Number BBS 201-451-3063 300/1200/2400  24 hrs.                      The article was originally published in FATE Magazine, March 1991 CAN MOON ILLUSIONS MOVE? By Felix A. Bach What could be more galling than spotting still further changes in    the monstrous moon objects I've been viewing and telling folks about lately, especially after all the effort our vaunted "space experts" keep expending to convince us that _nothing_ is up there? Despite their sneering claims that moon objects can only be    "illusions," new ones continue to make surprise appearances, put on     spectacular displays of activity, and then just blithely disappear! A    good example was the original "See Through Bags" object at Crater Rost, a sketch of which was published in FATE (July 1986). In all the sightings prior to that sketch, it showed seven puffy, gossamer bags draped from the hooked end of a very shiny, jet-black (a significant    feature of many major objects) mast about 20 _miles tall!_  Sometime between mid-August and September of 1986, though, the mast was rotated halfway around, and the "bags" were strung out on a line stretching some 35 miles over to Crater Schiller, reminiscent of laundry hanging on a clothesline. After a dozen or so sightings of this object I naturally assumed it was a permanent fixture that would stay there forever, just changing appearance every now and then to do whatever job it does. I    described and sketched the new changes in a later article for the July 1987 issue of _The Gate._ Even before that article reached its readers, astounding changes had already taken place. Sometime before May 1987, the mast had acquired a new crossbar near its hooked end. There was also a new fabric-like skirt running down most of the shaft to the surface (making that part look like a very tall "tepee"). _WEATHER PROTECTION?_ A new ribbon of shiny material several miles wide was also draped from the crossbar swooping down to the surface like a waterfall. Where it landed, it transformed into a long, tubelike form a mile or    so wide, which subsequently ran across the same 35 miles of surface over to Crater Schiller that was covered by its former aerial route. (The whole scene was reminiscent of the familiar plastic sheets we see    draped around our earthly construction sites nowadays for weather     protection.)  There is very little chance of error about this since I     studied the condition at length and under optimal conditions for three nights in a row, beginning the 10th night after the Full Moon (May 8,    9, and 10) at high resolution powers up to 500x, (which according to     my "Celestron" manufacturer allows viewing of lunar details as small     across as a football stadium.) Upon looking just one month later I was very surprised to find that everything described here was _gone._ Apparently, whatever purpose this contraption served was completed and it was quickly dismantled and removed (or maybe just retracted?). _THE BEADED ARCH_ Another of my original sightings published in that same 1986 sketch in FATE was the "Spectacular Beaded Arch," parts of which were first seen with my old 60mm starter telescope as early as 1983. As    shown here again in the sketch accompanying this article, it runs south roughly 175 miles from near Mt. Hadley toward Mt. Bradley. Regardless that viewing conditions were good back then it didn't    matter much because I was still to naive at the time to grasp the enormity of what I was viewing, anyway (and would not have believed it    possible). Then I got a view of more aspects of this arch the next summer while looking through an 8-inch Meade (S/C) telescope of a neighbor on    the eighth night. He was set for 600x. There were excellent viewing conditions at the time, which yielded better than twice the magnification at better clarity than I had ever experienced before. Even so, I was still unable to connect the various parts seen into a recognizable whole object yet. I did note that a mysterious bright bead seemed to be sitting atop Mr. Hadley though, unexplainably moved from its prior-year location seen somewhere to the east. _I SEE IT ALL_ It all came together when the arch became gloriously visible once again in 1985 on the seventh night (November 19th), while I was viewing with my own new SPC 8-inch telescope. Because of a different _libration_ (viewing angle), I was able to see the whole arch from end to end at a single whack! When I saw that jet black shaft vaulting about 50 miles above the surface with five bright "beads" spaced along its length (all verified by great shadows, incidentally), I finally realized that I was looking at a stupendous object. I had no idea that still more arches were concealed in the terminator darkness heading southwest, so I sketched as much as I had seen up to that time for the first publication. When the moon got in another favorable libration again in July 1986, a second beaded arch became visible -- a virtual twin sister of    the earlier one, running another 175 miles southward from near Mr. Bradley almost to Crater Eratosthenes. As though this second arch wasn't mind-boggling enough, still a    third little brother arch, about 50 miles long, became visible snuggled under the twin sister just two months later (in September    1986). At that time, all three arches were visible together similar to the condition as shown in the sketch on the next page. _U.S. AND SOVIET INVESTIGATIONS?_ Please note the relative position of the Apollo 15 landing site shown at the announced coordinates of 24N, 2E. If you can see the fortuitous location as roughly central between the ends of the two larger arches, then you may suspect that some other very knowledgeable people know a whole lot about these arches, too. Incidentally, the Soviets also showed great interest in them earlier, when their Luna 2 space probe landed just 80 miles away at    31N, 1E, (they say) a bit off the mark but still a very respectable position for reconnaissance. _WHERE DID THEY GO?_ Once again, all arches shown in the sketch were gone by the time I viewed the area just one month later (in October 1986). Untimely bad weather has hindered follow-up viewing ever since, so I can't say if they have been visible lately or not. You can see parts of them pictured in a legitimate 1956 Mt. Wilson photo on plate 7-1 in    Dinsmore Alter's _Pictorial Guide to the Moon_, (3rd Revised Edition     1973), as well as on page 9 of _The Questar Moon_ (published since     1981). Since we have these various sightings, plus independent photographic evidence of their sporadic reappearances, viewers should keep watching for these arches because it is most likely they will be    visible again as soon as conditions warrant. Some special mention is    deserved by the crane boom shown above Crater Eratosthenes. Unfortunately, it may show up only faintly at times, no doubt depending on where it was "parked" after its last use. When position, lighting, libration, and perigee (i.e. lunar    nearness) are favorable, it is a joy to see. Due to its 12 or so mile height, it gets lit several hours before the surface below, so it    gleams with a metallic brilliance that makes it look like a tiny bar of light floating magically above that whole sea of darkness. Several hours later, though, viewings will show its distinctive shadows running across the crater floor and curling around its western rim. The object shows up with sparkling clarity (with shadow) in at    least a half dozen places in _The Questar Moon_, and a bit less clear but in more places in _Pictorial Guide to the Moon_. Artists disguise it as a rock or rill in most of the "official" published photos (as    well as those that appear in many textbooks and encyclopedia sets). _CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF_ Several hundred known objects are now visible on the Moon, with surprising new ones still popping up on occasion. That is not an    exaggerated number, for on a good, clear night (especially around the     5th to 9th), a hundred or more objects can be seen in one evening alone. Many of these are nondescript "post" and "pole" type things that proliferate in certain areas though, and are not especially photogenic (or even sketchable). It is not necessary to view them all to realize something is dreadfully wrong with the "official" lunar photos and explanations foisted off on us. Just _one good sighting_ should convince you that these things are not the illusions that our space gurus and their many cronies piously claim and urgently insist that we believe without question. Check these images out with your own eyes by viewing them on a    systematic basis right in your own backyard. You must use a minimum 60mm telescope though, yielding a mid-range power of 140x or more. Dark sites on remote mountaintops are not needed for this activity (regardless of popular myths invented to discourage the    public from wholesale viewing). The Moon is so big and bright that even city lights can hardly hinder your effort. Viewing is relatively inexpensive, great fun, and a constant source of wild and awesome excitement! _DISINFORMATION_ After your first unmistakable sighting, you will know that a lot of very prominent people have conspired to disinform us. That realization may disappoint you, make you angry about the concerted dishonesty involved, and cause a deep concern over this abuse of our trust, rights, and privileges. On the bright side, you will be immune from further hero worship, skeptical about much of the cunning propaganda still piled on us, and saved from much of the futility forced into our lives. Best of all, knowing the truth dispels myths and bridges many of    the gaps that were so painstakingly programmed into our thinking, allowing us to share the knowledge gained from firsthand viewing. �