The Man in the Moon is the image of a human face, head or body that certain northern hemisphere traditions perceive in the disc of the full moon. The image is actually composed of the dark areas of the lunar maria, or "seas" and the lighter highlands of the lunar surface and is an example of lunar pareidolia.
In one common Western perception of the face, the figure's eyes are Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis, its nose is Sinus Aestuum, and its open mouth is Mare Nubium and Mare Cognitum. An older European tradition sees a figure of a man (Maria Serenitatis, Tranquilitatis, Fecunditatis and Nectaris) carrying a wide burden (Mare Vaporum and Lacus Somniorum) on his back. He is sometimes seen as accompanied by a small dog (Mare Crisium). Conventionalized illustrations of the Man in the Moon often seen in Western art show a very simple face in the full moon, or a human profile in the crescent moon, corresponding to no actual markings.
"The Man in the Moon" can also refer to a mythological character said to live on or in the moon, but who is not necessarily represented by the markings on the face of the moon. An example is Yue-Laou, from Chinese tradition.
In the southern hemisphere the disc of the moon is seen as inverted and the Man in the Moon difficult to perceive. Southern hemisphere cultures tend to perceive other images such as the Moon rabbit.
Read more about Man In The Moon: Origin Stories, Traditions
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