A friend of yours (who has not had the benefit of an astronomy course) tells you about a report he has read in a tabloid newspaper. They claim that on the dark side of the Moon, which is never in sunlight, there is a secret base of aliens who cannot stand light, and who send UFO's to Earth under the cover of darkness. Ignoring the UFO claim for a moment, what is the scientific error in this story?
A) all sides of the Moon are illuminated by sunlight in the course of a month; there is no dark side
B) sunlight cannot reach any side of the Moon, so every side of it is always looks the same
C) the dark side of the Moon is the one that faces the Earth and our telescopes would have spotted such a base
D) since the moon is turning, we see all sides of it from Earth in the course of a month
E) there are no scientific problems with that story

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement that there is a dark side of the Moon that never sees sunlight is false. The Moon goes through phases such that all sides are illuminated by the Sun in the course of a month.

A Friend of Yours (Who Has Not Had the Benefit