Maggie Aderin-Pocock

The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'till I'm sane
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There's someone in my head but it's not me.
And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, Brain Damage.



The Book of the Moon: A Guide to Our Closest Neighbor by Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a scientific and cultural examination of the moon. Aderin-Pocock MBE is a British space scientist and science educator. She is an Honorary Research Associate in University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy. She studied at Imperial College London, graduating with a BSc in physics in 1990 and completed her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.

Growing up I looked at the moon frequently through a 45x refractor. The moon was much more interesting than the bright spots that were the planets. On cold nights the craters looked sharp and clear. I lived in the city and never appreciated the light reflected by the moon. In the Marines, I found out that in the middle of nowhere (outside of light pollution), I could read by the light of the moon and under a full moon navigation was possible without additional light.

Aderin-Pocock writes almost poetic science about the moon. She presents facts and figures and science in a way that is inviting. Her writing is reminiscent of Carl Sagan in that way that the reader is embraced by the information rather than intimidated by it. It is not just the science; the moon is a cultural icon. Cat Stevens sings about being followed by a moon shadow. Creedence warns of a Bad Moon Rising. Neil Young pays tribute with Harvest Moon. The moon played a role in movies and in many of our childhoods:

Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.

Perhaps adding more meaning to the word lunatic. Of course, not all of that the moon inspired is good particularly the terrible poetry and songs that rhyme moon and June. Calendars were set in lunar months and were used by many cultures. Although the sun is essential most early civilizations had moon deities. The moon determines tides for sailors and signaled seasons for farmers. One can record the passage of time by its phases.

Aderin-Pocock presents the reader with a love story for the moon. She gives the science and then reaches beyond the science and offers the more romanticized history of the moon and its place in human thought and lore. A combination of beauty and science.

… (mais)

The Book of the Moon is exactly what it says it is; it is a book that contains information on our closest neighbor in terms of the Solar System. It discusses the size, composition, mass, and distance of the Moon from the Earth. Along with all of these facts, the author is obsessed with the Moon. People called her a lunatic and she took it as a compliment. She discusses her personal relationship with the Moon and how she came to be enamored with it. It makes for a very interesting read.

As well as the facts, we also get information on how the Moon is slowly moving away from the Earth, and how it is gradually changing its rotation speed and so on. I already knew that the Moon is moving away from the Earth, but I thought it was completely locked with the Earth’s Rotation and that was why there was a ‘far side of the Moon.’ So that much is interesting. In any case, the book also discusses the missions that took us to the Moon as well.

All in all, this book was very short, but still quite enjoyable.… (mais)

I received a paperback ARC [Advanced Reader’s Copy], uncorrected proof of this book from the publisher through a giveaway they had on GoodReads and the following is my honest opinion.

For some reason, reading this book, reminded me of the song Getting to Know You from the The King and I. What the book’s author, Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, has done here is to give her readers an expose of the moon which goes beyond the scientific explanation of the moon itself from its description, both on its surface and what lies below it to its environment and how it got formed.

With having told her readers about the moon itself, the author proceeds to educate readers about the fascination we’ve got regarding it culturally, past, present and future. From mere moongazing with Galileo inventing the telescope, to our use of the moon as a way of telling time along with our ancestral superstitions and praying to it. Not to be overlooked, Dr. Aderin-Pocock continues to demonstrate how the moon has influenced individuals to write poems, folktales and science fiction stories, giving examples; most notably H.G. Wells’ classic The First Men in the Moon.

The written word is not the only thing the moon has influenced, it also done the same to works of art, which the author hasn’t failed to include giving her readers five examples.

Moving on to the present the author continues with our increasing fascination of the moon, going into greater details of our observation of it and our space missions to it. But what good is all of this, if we don’t look towards our future relationship with the moon, with additional missions to it, and perhaps ultimately creating a moon base with people there; all of which is explored by the author in this book.

For wanting her readers to be educated regarding the moon in the manner she has, I’m happy to give Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, the 5 STARS she so richly deserves.… (mais)