Page 138 - Lunacy and the Age of Deception

The Lunatic Fringe

2-Page Photo of Buzz Aldrin in LIFE Magazine, 1969

In this chapter I am going to make mention of additional types of photographic anomalies which
appear in the images from the Apollo lunar missions. I will begin by revisiting the image above from
nd
the first Moon landing. In this image Buzz Aldrin, the 2 man to walk on the Moon, is being
photographed by Neil Armstrong. I previously emphasized the fact that Aldrin is being lit by a
spotlight, for he is standing in a lighting hotspot while the ground around him tapers off into
increasing darkness. Such an effect does not occur when a person is standing outside under the light
of the Sun.

The main spotlight used to illuminate Aldrin is overhead and behind him. This is revealed by the
shadow cast in front of the astronaut. It has been pointed out by many individuals who have
examined the Apollo photos, that any surface facing away from the Sun should appear dark with very
little detail discernible due to the lack of an atmosphere on the Moon. On Earth, our atmosphere
scatters light, casting it in all directions. Scientists refer to this as Rayleigh scattering. The
atmospheric scattering of light is the primary reason that shadowed areas on Earth remain
significantly illuminated.

There is another factor involved in shadow brightness or darkness. This is the reflectivity of surface
materials. If you sit under an umbrella that is erected on a white sandy beach, you will have more
illumination than if you were to sit under an umbrella erected in a field of black loamy soil. Yet, in
either case, due to the Rayleigh scattering effect of light in the Earth’s atmosphere, you would have
sufficient illumination to read a book. The image below demonstrates the significant amount of light
available under a large shaded gazebo.