Women of the Moon

Descriere

Philosophers and poets in times past tried to figure out why the stainless moon "smoothly polished, like a diamond" in Dante's words, had stains. The agreed solution was that, like a mirror, it reflected the imperfect Earth. Today we smile, but it was a clever way to understand the Moon in a manner that was consistent with the beliefs of their age. The Moon is no longer the "in" thing. We see it as often as the Sun and give it little thought - we've become
indifferent. However, the Moon does reflect more than just sunlight. The Moon, or more precisely the nomenclature of lunar craters, still holds up a mirror to an important aspect of human history. Of the 1586 craters that have been named honoring philosophers and scientists, only 28 honor a woman. These 28
women of the Moon present us with an opportunity to meditate on this gap, but perhaps more significantly, they offer us an opportunity to talk about their lives, mostly unknown today.

Despre autor

Daniel Altschuler

fizician uruguayan · n. 1944

Daniel R. Altschuler este un fizician uruguayan legat în activitatea sa profesională de Telescopul Radio Arecibo din Puerto Rico, unde a fost director din 1992 până în 2003. Este un scriitor, cunoscut pentru activitatea sa de popularizare a științei, și este foarte sensibil la distincția dintre știință și pseudoștiință. În 2010 a primit premiul Andrew Gemant din partea Institutului American de Fizică.