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APOD

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Hubble Resolves Expiration Date For Green Cheese Moon

Explanation: Using the new camera on the Hubble Space Telescope , astronomers have been able to confirm that the Moon is made of green cheese . The telling clue was the resolution of a marked date after which the Moon may go bad. Controversy still exists, however, over whether the date resolved is truly an expiration date or just a “sell by” date. “To be cautious, we should completely devour the Moon by tomorrow,” a spokesperson advised. Happy April Fool's Day from the folks at APOD . The above image (slightly altered) was actually taken in 1965 by the Ranger 9 probe minutes before impact. The popular Moon is made of Green Cheese myth can be traced back almost 500 years. It has been used historically in context to indicate a claim so clearly false that no one -- not even April Fools -- will believe it.

Date April 1, 2006
Credit Credit: Ranger Project , NASA
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.