National Moon Day

Every once in a while, the human race achieves something truly remarkable, and National Moon Day celebrates the occasion when we first left footsteps upon our nearest neighbour.

It’s probably best to gloss quietly over how long it is since the last visitors landed there, but that’s no reason to skimp on the celebrations. After all, there’ll never be a better excuse to launch firework rockets over your neighbourhood and dress up in a tinfoil suit with a fishbowl on your head. Alternatively, you might prefer to drag a telescope out into the garden, or maybe sit in a circle howling like wolves as the moon rises.

Be careful who you invite to your National Moon Day party, though, as there’s bound to be one guest who insists the party is not really happening and that you are faking the hot dogs and beer in a film studio somewhere in Nevada.

Learn about National Moon Day

Neil Armstrong became the first man to step down onto the cratered surface of the moon and he said the following words:

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

These are words that pretty much everyone around the world is familiar with!

When this happened, it was one of the most monumental occasions in our history. On National Moon Day, we celebrate the historic landing on the moon that occurred on the 20th of July in 1969. We also take the time to consider the monumental effort that it takes in order to get a space program off the ground. You may have thought that we would have made millions of space expeditions since then, but it simply is not that easy!

On National Moon Day, we take the time to remember the profound and quirky moments in space that resulted in the United States being the first country to have their flag planted on the moon. This is definitely something to be proud of!

History of National Moon Day

In order to understand the history of National Moon Day, we first need to understand the history of such space expeditions. On the 25th of May in 1969, it was announced by John F. Kennedy, who was president at the time, that the Apollo space program would start. This initiated NASA’s work on a manned lunar landing. He stated that it was his plant to make sure that there was an American on the Moon by the end of the decade.

After this, Americans were treated to the very first television images of the surface of the moon. This was possible because images were transmitted by Ranger 7, which was NASA’s unmanned probe. Americans were then able to watch as Apollo 8 repeated its orbit ten times around the moon. This was the first manned flight.

The historic first took place when Apollo 11 landed on the moon for the first time. The world held its breath when three men became the first humans to step onto the surface of the moon. However, it was not all systems go, as NASA ended their Apollo program with Apollo 17. This was the final Moon landing mission, which happened in 1972.

However, in recent times, we have started to see more space programs initiated, so we could start to see more space activity from now on. This has been made possible because NASA has partnered with commercial companies in order to ensure that there is the funding needed to keep these projects going.

SpaceX is a prime example. Owned by Elon Musk, this company designs manufactures and launches advanced spacecraft and rockets. Their aim is to colonize Mars, and we have seen a lot of incredible innovations that they have brought to the fore. If you do not know a lot about this, we recommend using some of your time on National Moon Day to find out more.

How to Celebrate National Moon Day

There are a number of different ways that you can celebrate National Moon Day. One of the best ways to do so is to head to your local planetarium. This is the best way to get up close and personal with the moon. All you need to do is a quick search online to find the nearest planetarium in your area.

These are doomed theaters, which come complete with huge telescopes, enabling you to see all of the incredible objects in the sky that you cannot see with the naked eye. This will encourage you to learn more about the universe. It really is an educational, unique, and exciting experience. There is so much to learn!

Another way to celebrate National Moon Day is by watching a film about landing on the moon. There have been a number of different films and movies that have been created about this incredible event, so we definitely recommend checking some of them out. The obvious place to start is with Apollo 11.

This film was directed by Todd Douglass Miller, usually powerful visuals to retell the story of man’s first trip to the moon. This includes images such as Neil Armstrong being reflected in Buzz Aldrin’s helmet, the American flag being planted on the lunar surface, and the blast-off moment. You may think that this is simply going to be another remake of a story that you have heard about plenty of times, but it is more than this.

It actually uses sound and never-before-seen footage from the mission, which has somehow been scanned and restored. This means you get to enjoy the occasion from a whole new perspective, which is incredibly interesting to say the least.

There are a number of other interesting films about landing on the moon. Another one to consider is The Dish, which was released back in 2000. Although a true story, it does have a bit of fiction mixed in as well. It tells the story of how an Australian observatory played a critical role in ensuring everyone around the globe would be able to watch the first steps that humankind took on the moon. Other movies to consider include First Man, The Last Man on the Moon, and For All Mankind.

Aside from the suggestions we have already mentioned, why not see if there are any astronomy clubs in your local area? If so, there are bound to be some events that are going on for National Moon Day. You will have the perfect opportunity to enjoy a discussion with people who share the same passion. If you do not have an astronomy club in your area, do a bit of digging online to see if you can unearth any interesting forums where you will be able to engage in discussions with people who are passionate about astronomy. We are sure that a lot of people will also be posting on social media on National Moon Day, so why not get involved in the discussion and share your own opinions as well?