‘Wonders of the Moon’ Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

I suppose, that if there is one down side to enjoying the wonders of the modern world; it would be that sometimes we take nature for granted. Because we are truly masters of our domain, and anything we desire, such as food or water or knowledge for that matter, are at our beck and call whenever we so choose and having that kind of power, sometimes allows for us to get lost in the mix and forget about the incredible world and universe that surrounds us. That’s why I love it when I can get lost in a documentary that not only flat out reminds us how far we’ve come as a species, but also that we are a part of something truly special and thankfully BBC America delivered a documentary that accomplished those particular goals last night in Wonders of the Moon.
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Which, when you think about it, the moon is a celestial body we don’t really ponder upon or talk about as much as we have in years past, but it’s always with us, and it’s something we casually glance at, like our watch and our phone and with this being the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, now seems like an appropriate time to revisit the power of our lunar neighbor. Which brings us to the first important element that this documentary brought our way, a refresher course on how it functions and what it means to our world since the lunar cycles help keep the natural order rolling, and for proof, look no further than the fact that when the tide rolls out, there are flocks of birds that feast upon everything waiting for them within the sand. But while all of this refresher knowledge was lovely to revisit, what this documentary had to say about mankind’s relationship and history with the moon was incredibly fascinating.

Because I was truly unaware of the fact that a lunar calendar existed, or I straight up forgot, but either way, it was just incredible to learn that mankind worked to figure out the patterns of the lunar cycle and used it wisely since the moon helped farmers accomplish important work in the dead of night, and I was definitely unaware of how we still celebrate the lunar calendar in the modern world. For it turns out that in Hong Kong, the Harvest Moon is a huge deal when it comes to the Mid-Autumn Festival that’s celebrated there, and people in this city treat this particular part of the moon’s cycle as a major holiday and assemble en masse to witness its majesty and it was just fascinating to see people view the moon in this manner and treat its natural rotation around our world as a chance to reflect upon their lives and use its light to provide a sense of renewal and also use it as a signal to come together.

Yet, while that was incredible to witness in its own right, the documentary wasn’t quite done with exploring how mankind celebrates the moon when the timing to do is just right, which meant it was high time for venture to the United States of America in the summer of 2017. Wherein a vast majority of the nation was privy to a flawless solar eclipse and while I knew of someone who went to check this out in Wyoming when it went down, the stories my friend Emily relayed to me about of the wonder of this experience will always pale in comparison to experiencing it live and that’s what made me so appreciative of this segment of the story. Because the viewer was in essence plunged into the heart of these celebrations across America, and we were able to share in the wonder and the joy of others as they watched this celestial dance play out before their eyes.

If anything, this documentary served as a magnificent reminder to take a moment longer to linger on the moon when we do glance up at it and appreciate just how magnificent it truly is and how important it is to our existence on this tiny blue rock hurtling through space. For it has helped to create great beauty on our world since the coral reefs feel the power of the full moon and send their offspring out into the ocean when it arrives, and it has brought forth an important legacy for mankind as well. Because our ties to it go beyond mere celebrations of its influence over the modern world, we’ve actually been there, and there are generations of Americans that now have family ties related to those incredible landings that happened ages ago. And once again, I have to thank BBC America for putting together a beautiful tale that did a fine job of teaching us new things about this grand celestial body in exciting and entertaining fashion and I know the next time I’m outside walking my beagle in the evening, or getting home from a lovely dinner, I’ll be sure to take a moment to look up and appreciate the power and the majesty of our one and only moon. 

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