# The man in the moon; can you see him? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392 "2018-10-23T16:34:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/1 "2018-10-23T16:34:15Z")
We’re all familiar with the concept of the man in the moon but I think last night was the first time I really got what I was supposed to be looking at all these years. I don’t know if it’s because the atmospheric conditions were just right or my aging eyes see everything in imperceptible blurs (just kidding, mostly) but for some reason I really could make out his face. It got me to wondering if everyone is referring to the same “face”. Basically, I recognized [this](https://www.google.com/search?q=man+in+the+moon+face&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=LF4Z8wA_KX0d7M%253A%252CfRFTIvP9F77LcM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kTDptYlCIAXlo2NPaI1V4VasUY0jg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjK5I28_ZzeAhWNwFkKHWTvA-4Q9QEwBHoECAAQCg#imgrc=LF4Z8wA_KX0d7M:), which I don’t recall ever having seen it so clearly. Some months back I was speaking to a teenager who also had never recognized the man’s face but could clearly see a shrimp! So, share your knowledge and lunar thoughts with me. Hopefully you don’t see [this](https://www.google.com/search?q=pennywise+face+in+the+moon&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjb9tTr_pzeAhUQjlkKHakkD5UQ_AUIDigB&biw=1432&bih=729#imgrc=4i_hgGoU6oKCOM:). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/2 "2018-10-23T16:40:40Z")
I’m used to seeing [this.](https://i0.wp.com/creativejamie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jackie-gleason-the-honeymooners.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/3 "2018-10-23T16:58:50Z")
I see the [Energizer Bunny](https://www.google.com/search?q=energizer+bunny+in+the+moon&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwix9dzgg53eAhUCYKwKHVcGBtsQ_AUIDigB&biw=1424&bih=912#imgrc=_). ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/4 "2018-10-23T17:01:32Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > I see the [Energizer Bunny](https://www.google.com/search?q=energizer+bunny+in+the+moon&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwix9dzgg53eAhUCYKwKHVcGBtsQ_AUIDigB&biw=1424&bih=912#imgrc=_). Great; now I’m going to spend another 40 years\* trying\* to see that:p ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/5 "2018-10-23T17:17:13Z")
I see any of [three different faces](http://home.earthlink.net/~ahunter/Upload_Download/ManInTheMoon.jpg) depending on the viewing angle. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/6 "2018-10-23T17:29:51Z")
Little known fact, there is also a man in the sun. If you look really closely, you will see him. It helps to hold your eyelids open to make sure the entire eyeball can see it. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/7 "2018-10-23T17:37:14Z")
No because the concept is literally foreign to me; I’ve never been in a situation to ask which bits are supposed to be what. I wouldn’t be able to recognize The Big Cart (the Big Dipper or Ursa Major) and its sibling The Little Cart (the Little Dipper, Ursa Minor) if nobody had explained them to me either. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/8 "2018-10-23T17:44:07Z")
Why, yes, yes I do. I visit him most full moons. Now to get some that cheese. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/9 "2018-10-23T17:49:11Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > No because the concept is literally foreign to me; I’ve never been in a situation to ask which bits are supposed to be what. I wouldn’t be able to recognize The Big Cart (the Big Dipper or Ursa Major) and its sibling The Little Cart (the Little Dipper, Ursa Minor) if nobody had explained them to me either. Do you mean there is no expression / lore about the “the man in the moon” where you’re from, or that it’s just an abstract idea that doesn’t have anything to do with how the moon looks? Sorry to be ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/10 "2018-10-23T18:12:36Z")
Yes, both the man in the moon and the rabbit in the moon (from my father, may be a Chinese thing). ETA: Of course, I am talking about _your_ moon, what I see in Phobos and Deimos is none of your business. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/11 "2018-10-23T18:16:05Z")
I’ve never seen a man, but I have seen a rabbit. Usagi Tsukino [http://img02.deviantart.net/bf8b/i/2012/258/8/4/sailor\_moon\_by\_chrisemerald\_chaos\_z-d5etcq6.png](http://img02.deviantart.net/bf8b/i/2012/258/8/4/sailor_moon_by_chrisemerald_chaos_z-d5etcq6.png) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/12 "2018-10-23T18:51:14Z")
No, I don’t see TMITM. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/13 "2018-10-23T20:01:38Z")
Kind of/sort of. If that’s face, it looks like a 2 year old drew it. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/14 "2018-10-23T20:16:57Z")
Back to the OP: I also thought that the man in the moon was more pronounced than usual, especially at moonrise. Atmospheric conditions? Closeness to the earth (was it nearer than normal)? I’ve never been able to make out the rabbit though. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/15 "2018-10-23T20:24:30Z")
Note: There are a lot of different types of “Man in the Moon”. Even the Wikipedia [article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_in_the_Moon) does a poor job of it. The upper right diagram in the combo pic shows a man with a bundle of sticks on his back, but it’s in the “wrong” place and direction to me. It should be facing right and taking up most of the Moon. In addition, the crescent moon is often represented as a weird profile [pic](https://www.almanac.com/content/man-moon) of a face by many. That I just don’t see. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/16 "2018-10-23T22:40:23Z")
I have seen the crescent moon profile of a man. It’s about a vague as you can get. The more you stare at it the more you see it. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/17 "2018-10-23T23:05:58Z")
I can _totally_ see the Man In The Moon; here’s a photo I took just this past summer. [Link](https://flic.kr/p/2chD71N) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/18 "2018-10-24T08:19:09Z")
I’ve never had any problem seeing the Man in the Moon, and I always assumed everyone could see him. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/19 "2018-10-24T08:26:15Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Do you mean there is no expression / lore about the “the man in the moon” where you’re from, or that it’s just an abstract idea that doesn’t have anything to do with how the moon looks? Sorry to be ignorant. There is no expression or lore about the man in the moon in Spain; if we had lore about a person’s image showing on the moon it would likely be female, since _la luna_ is a (f) word. I first encountered the expression in my late 20s while living in the US. We also don’t have the concept of the moon being made of cheese, except in children’s books translated from English. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392/20 "2018-10-24T11:11:52Z")
I can certainly see surface detail on the Moon, but it doesn’t look at all like a person to me (face nor body). I usually describe it as a rabbit, though I could see how it could be a shrimp, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-moon-can-you-see-him/823392.md?page=2)