Bushra Griffith
The idea that the moon is made of cheese has been a popular notion for centuries. The earliest record of this idea comes from a medieval Slavic fable about a wolf and a fox. The fox tricks the wolf into believing that the moon's reflection on a pond is a block of cheese. The phrase the moon is made of green cheese was popularised in the 16th and 17th centuries, used to refer to something so absurd that only a gullible person would believe it. The phrase has been used in popular culture, from children's programmes to films, and even NASA got in on the joke with an April Fool's prank in 2002.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | The earliest record of the notion that the moon is made of cheese comes from a medieval Slavic fable about a ravenous wolf chasing a fox. The fable was first recorded in John Heywood's book of proverbs in 1546. |
| Popularity | The phrase became extremely common in the mid-16th century and was often used sarcastically to refer to someone's gullibility or ignorance. It was also a common proverb in 16th- and 17th-century English literature. |
| References in Media | The moon being made of cheese has been referenced in various media, including the 1989 film "A Grand Day Out," featuring Wallace and Gromit; a DC comic featuring a character named Little Cheese; and children's programs like "Tom and Jerry." |
| Scientific Perspective | The scientific community has never supported the claim that the moon is made of cheese. Theoretical physicist Sean M. Carroll stated that this hypothesis is "absurd" and contradicts our knowledge of the universe. |
| NASA's April Fool's Prank | On April Fool's Day in 2002, NASA claimed to have "proven" that the moon was made of cheese by releasing a Photoshopped image with an expiration date printed on one of the moon's craters. |
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What You'll Learn
The Moon and cheese in popular culture
The Moon and cheese have been intertwined in popular culture for centuries. The notion that the Moon is made of cheese is a well-known trope that has appeared in various forms of media, from literature and films to video games and advertisements.
Origins
The idea of the Moon being made of cheese can be traced back to medieval folklore and fable. One of the earliest records of this notion is a medieval Slavic/Servian folk tale featuring a fox and a wolf. In the story, the fox tricks the wolf into believing that the Moon's reflection on a pond is a wheel of cheese, leading the wolf to drink the entire pond and burst. This tale was later popularised in Europe by Petrus Alphonsi in his collection "Disciplina Clericalis".
Another early citation of the Moon-cheese idea comes from John Heywood's book of proverbs published in 1546, where he states, "the moon is made of a greene cheese." It is important to note that greene in this context refers to the youth or age of the cheese rather than its colour.
Popular Culture References
Over the centuries, the Moon-cheese trope has found its way into various aspects of popular culture. In literature, Italo Calvino's short story "The Distance of the Moon" from his collection "Cosmicomics" (1968) features people travelling to the Moon to collect "moon milk," a soft, cream cheese-like substance.
In film, the 1989 movie "A Grand Day Out" starring Wallace and Gromit features the characters travelling to the Moon to gather cheese due to a lack of it at home. The Moon-cheese trope has also appeared in children's cartoons like Tom and Jerry and in comic books, such as DC's "Little Cheese," featuring an astronaut who discovers cheese on the Moon.
Video games have also incorporated the Moon-cheese trope, such as the "Mario Kart: Super Circuit" game, which features a racetrack on the Moon made of cartoon cheese, and the "Minecraft" mod "Galacticraft," which adds space travel and includes Cheese Ore in its Moon dimension.
Even companies like McDonald's have jumped on the bandwagon, with an old commercial featuring Ronald McDonald attempting to reach the Moon to collect cheese for the restaurant's burgers.
Scientific Perspective
While the Moon-cheese idea has been a fun and imaginative concept in popular culture, scientists have always maintained that the Moon is not made of cheese. Theoretical physicist Sean M. Carroll has stated that there is no need to "sample the moon to know it's not made of cheese," as this hypothesis contradicts our knowledge of the universe.
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The Moon is made of cheese as a proverb
The Moon being made of cheese is an old proverb, with its earliest record being a medieval Slavic fable about a fox and a wolf. In the fable, the fox tricks the wolf into believing that the moon's reflection on a pond is a block of cheese. The wolf drinks all the water in the pond in an attempt to get the cheese but eventually drinks too much and bursts, leaving the fox alive and victorious. The proverb was later recorded in John Heywood's book of proverbs, published in 1546, where he states, "the moon is made of green cheese." The term "green" in this context refers to the cheese's youth or freshness rather than its color.
The phrase became common in the 16th and 17th centuries, often used to refer to someone being gullible or ignorant. For example, in 1638, English natural philosopher John Wilkins wrote, "You may... soon persuade some country peasants that the moon is made of green cheese." The phrase has since been used in various works of literature and popular culture, including the 1989 film "A Grand Day Out," where the characters Wallace and Gromit travel to the Moon to gather cheese.
Despite the widespread use of the proverb, it is important to note that the scientific community has never supported the claim that the Moon is made of cheese. Theoretical physicist Sean M. Carroll has stated that the hypothesis is "absurd" and contradicts our knowledge of the universe. Nevertheless, the myth has persisted and continues to capture the imagination of people of all ages.
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The Moon is made of cheese as a joke
The idea that the Moon is made of cheese has been a long-standing joke. The earliest record of this notion can be traced back to a medieval Slavic fable, featuring a hungry wolf chasing a fox. In the story, the fox tricks the wolf into believing that the moon's reflection on a pond is a block of cheese, leading the wolf to drink the water excessively and burst. This fable highlights the absurdity of the idea and sets the tone for the joke.
The phrase "the moon is made of green cheese" became popularized in the 16th and 17th centuries, often used sarcastically to imply that someone is gullible or ignorant. It first appeared in John Heywood's book of proverbs published in 1546, and later in John Wilkins' "The Discovery of a World in the Moone." The phrase "green cheese" refers to fresh, unaged cheese, emphasizing the ludicrousness of the statement.
Over time, the joke has been perpetuated and referenced in various forms of media, including children's programs like "Tom and Jerry" and "Wallace and Gromit." Even NASA played along with the joke on April Fool's Day in 2002, claiming to have "proven" that the moon was made of cheese by releasing a photoshopped image with an expiration date on one of the craters.
While it is clear that the moon is not made of cheese, the joke has persisted and continues to be a lighthearted way to poke fun at human gullibility and ignorance. It has even inspired creative stories and adventures, such as Wallace and Gromit's journey to the moon in "A Grand Day Out" and Shaun the Sheep's "Moon Cheese challenge."
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The Moon is made of cheese as a myth
The Moon being made of cheese is a myth that has persisted for centuries. The idea that the Moon is made of cheese has been a popular notion in literature and media, often used to refer to something so absurd that only the extremely gullible would believe it. The earliest record of this notion can be found in a medieval Slavic fable, where a fox tricks a wolf into believing that the Moon's reflection on a pond is a block of cheese. The fox tells the wolf that he must drink all the water to acquire the cheese, and in his greed, the wolf drinks too much and bursts, leaving the fox victorious. This fable highlights the absurdity of the idea and sets the tone for how it is often used in literature and popular culture.
The phrase "the Moon is made of green cheese" became popularized in the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly by John Heywood's book of proverbs published in 1546. The phrase was used sarcastically to imply that a person must be gullible or ignorant to believe such a statement. Despite the humorous and sarcastic tone of the phrase, it has persisted and evolved over the centuries, finding its way into various forms of media.
In modern times, the myth has been referenced in films like "A Grand Day Out," where the characters Wallace and Gromit travel to the Moon to gather cheese, and in DC comics, where an astronaut discovers a type of cheese on the Moon named "Little Cheese." Even NASA has joined in on the joke, claiming on April Fool's Day in 2002 that they had "proven" the Moon was made of cheese by releasing a photoshopped image with an expiration date on one of the craters.
While the myth of the Moon being made of cheese has been a source of entertainment and humor, it is important to note that scientifically, it has been debunked. Theoretical physicist Sean M. Carroll has stated that the hypothesis is "absurd" and contradicts our knowledge of the universe. Despite this, the myth continues to capture the imagination of people, and references to it can be found in various forms of media and popular culture.
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The Moon's composition and scientific investigations
The Moon is not made of cheese, despite the enduring popularity of this myth. The idea that the Moon is made of cheese likely originated from a medieval Slavic fable, in which a fox tricks a wolf into believing that the Moon's reflection on a pond is a block of cheese. The earliest written record of this myth is from 1546, in John Heywood's book of proverbs. The phrase "the moon is made of green cheese" became a popular proverb in 16th- and 17th-century English literature, often used sarcastically to imply that a person is gullible or ignorant.
Now, onto the Moon's actual composition and the scientific investigations that have revealed it:
The Moon is a differentiated world, composed of layers with different compositions. The Moon's center is a dense, metallic core, primarily made of iron and nickel. This core is relatively small, about 20% of the Moon's diameter. Above the core are the mantle and crust. The light areas of the Moon, known as the highlands, and the dark features, called maria, represent rocks of different compositions and ages. The maria are impact basins that were filled with lava between 4.2 and 1.2 billion years ago. The craters on the Moon, preserved for billions of years, provide an impact history for the Moon and other bodies in the inner solar system.
The Moon's surface is covered by a layer of charcoal-gray, powdery dust and rocky debris called the lunar regolith. Beneath this is a region of fractured bedrock known as the megaregolith. The average composition of the lunar surface by weight includes elements such as oxygen, silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium, aluminum, chromium, titanium, and manganese. Orbiting spacecraft have also found traces of water on the lunar surface, which may be more abundant on slopes facing the lunar south pole.
Scientific investigations of the Moon have included sending spacecraft to observe its surface and return photographs, such as the Soviet Union's first spacecraft to impact the Moon's surface in 1959. The Apollo missions, which ended in 1972, brought back samples from the Moon's volcanic regions and left seismometers that revealed the occurrence of moonquakes. Scientists have used data and samples from these missions to study the Moon's composition and formation. One dominant theory, known as the large impact theory, suggests that the Moon formed from a massive collision between Earth and a smaller Mars-sized planet. This theory is supported by the similarities in composition between the Moon and Earth.
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Frequently asked questions
The earliest record of this idea comes from a medieval Slavic fable about a wolf and a fox. The fox tricks the wolf into thinking the moon's reflection on a pond is a block of cheese. The earliest written record of this notion is from John Heywood's book of proverbs in 1546.
The phrase "the moon is made of green cheese" was likely used to refer to something so ludicrous that only the extremely gullible would believe it. It was a common proverb in 16th- and 17th-century English literature.
While it is doubtful that anyone ever seriously believed the moon was made of cheese, a 1902 survey of childlore by psychologist G. Stanley Hall found that out of 423 children, 18 averaging five years old thought it was made of cheese.
On April Fool's Day in 2002, NASA claimed to have proven that the moon was made of cheese by releasing a Photoshopped image with an expiration date printed on one of the moon's craters.
