Is There Actually A Dark Side of the Moon?

Is there a dark side of the moon? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explain the far side of the moon, common misconceptions, and other moon facts.

Neil discusses headlines after the Chandrayaan-3 Mission and the near versus the far side of the moon. Discover parts of the moon that do stay dark, the temperature differences on the moon, and why lunar shadows are so striking.

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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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Timestamps:
00:00 - Is There a Dark Side of the Moon?
02:28 - The Far Side of the Moon
03:40 - Chandrayaan-3 Mission
07:21 - How Cold is the Moon?
9:11 - Shadows on the Moon
10:10 - Closing

[StarTalk]

Be in the audience for Chuck's first comedy special: www.chucknicecomic.com

[TheTinRam]

I always thought “dark side of the moon” meant the side we don’t see, but didn’t think that it meant that there is a side that it always dark.

[euclidestube]

They never did any damage to me. I thought the "dark side of the moon" was the side we can't normally see from earth. Not that it is never lit by the sun. Timeless album.

[broscutzacupar]

During solar eclipses, the moon casts a shadow, and since it always shows the same side to us, it's easy to reason that the other side is illuminated by the sun.

[sammyhill]

What’s even crazier is, I just rocked this album out in its entirety while driving around for work today. I had to replay The Great Gig in the Sky a few times before proceeding on to the end, however. That track is an experience all on its own. Great video as always, gents 🍻

[lesliefranklin]

There *is* a dark side of the Moon. It just changes all the time.

[kennwilson]

I always thought that the album was a metaphor, but the scientific reference was that the lunar orbiter was out of radio contact. Areas without radio comms are known as dark territories (as mentioned in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory)

[adpirtle]

You can't really blame Pink Floyd for this one. The far side of the Moon has been called the "dark side of the moon" for literally hundreds of years. Where do you think the band got their title from?

[greendragonreprised]

In the context of the album 'The Dark Side of The Moon' is a metaphor for what we now call mental illness, but at the time was referred to as lunacy, hence the lunar connection.

[fishstix]

1:08 or you could've just told them to listen to the whole album, , , , final lyrics are literally "There is no dark side in the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark. The only thing that makes it look light is the sun."

[eddiemidnite]

"There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark. The only thing that makes it look light is the sun."

[Steelologist]

Some parts of Earth, the moon and everything else that orbits the sun are in total darkness until they rotate toward the sun's rays. So the title of the song is actually correct. There is a dark side of the moon just not a permanent one.

[NorthernChev]

"Dark Side of the Moon" stayed in the charts for 937 weeks! And is still to this day, the #2 largest-selling album of all time.

[julesmcginnigle]

Ive not watched startalk in ages but pink floyd will get me to do anything

[ryangooseling]

I'm only now, beginning to understand how different my family was. My brother and dad made every moment a learning experience.
Thank you for these videos, they remind me of them😢

[charleshetrick]

They did get one bit right, when they penned the line “teacher! Leave those kids alone!” They were spot on.

[raymondsciara]

Having atmospheric pressure is mind bllowing and Neil pointing out that light behaves differently than on the moon due to it not having air diffusing light

[Breeeeeeeeeze]

Thanks Neil and Chuck, I’m not doing well at the moment and your videos always help me somehow. 🙏🏽

[jeffcooke]

I could be wrong, however, the final track is named "Eclipse", with the last singing lyric before the guy who speaks sings, "the sun is eclipsed by the moon". Which always lead me to believe that they meant that the story line of the album is occurring during the time that Earth is passing through the Moon's shadow. At least by the final track, we are on the dark side of the moon. Reaching the totality of the eclipse. Not stating there is any permanent dark side, but using the eclipse as a metiphore for their style of lyrical poetry.

[topspacesource]

The transformers Dark of the moon was the best one. We have definitely been misinformed by Dark side of the moon, but it still sounds cool.