The Great Moon Hoax: A Discovery That Never Happened
On August 25, 1835, readers of a New York newspaper encountered astonishing news: Astronomers had supposedly discovered life on the moon. The account described forests, animals, and even winged beings that looked partly human. The discovery sounded extraordinary because it was extraordinary—and entirely invented.
The story appeared in the New York Sun, a newspaper sold for just one penny. Over six installments, the Sun presented a detailed picture of a living moon. Today, the episode is known as the Great Moon Hoax. It offers a striking example of how a news story can borrow the appearance of scientific authority without providing genuine evidence.
A famous name and a powerful telescope
The Sun attributed the supposed discoveries to a real astronomer, Sir John Herschel. He was working near Cape Town, at the southern tip of Africa, where he used a telescope to study the southern sky. Herschel was already well known, and his location far from New York made it difficult for American readers to check the newspaper’s account quickly.
- attributed:
- Said that something came from or was done by a particular person or source.
- installments:
- Parts of a work published separately over time.
- authority:
- A person’s or source’s recognized expertise or influence.
- verify:
- To check whether something is true or accurate.
- plausible:
- Seeming reasonable or possible.
- speculations:
- Ideas or guesses formed without enough evidence to be certain.
- credibility:
- The quality of being believable or worthy of trust.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
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Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
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Fact & Opinion
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Vocabulary
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Writing Prompts
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How did Herschel’s reputation and location make the Sun’s story harder for readers to judge?
- 2Why did the reference to an Edinburgh journal make the story seem credible, and what undermined that claim?
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About this explanatory article passage for Middle School
“The Great Moon Hoax: A Discovery That Never Happened” is a explanatory article reading passage about News credibility, written for Middle School. It takes about 6 minutes to read (844 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.