Neil deGrasse Tyson Blames Pink Floyd for 'Dark Side of the Moon' Myth

Celebrity astrophysicist and Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson says there's no dark side of the Moon but the Pink Floyd album.

And about the side of the moon we never see from Earth, Tyson says that's not because it's dark.

When asked about the dark side of the moon myth, Tyson tells the Hollywood Reporter, "I blame Pink Floyd for this. There is no dark side! There's a far side, and there's a near side, but all side of the moon receive sunlight."

Of course Tyson is well-aware Dark Side of the Moon is a metaphor, but he does believe the title has contributed to popular misconceptions about the Moon.

"So, the fact that Pink Floyd had an album with that title meant I spent decades having to undo people's [misconceptions]," he continues. "As an educator, if I had a time machine, I'd go back and change the title of that to The Far Side of the Moon, and I would restore thousands of hours of my life."

But don't accuse Tyson of not knowing his Pink Floyd!

He clarifies that he believes the band understood the far side/dark side truth when they were writing the album. He points out that the spoke words at the end of the song "Eclipse" are "there is no dark side of the moon."

Ultimate Classic Rock adds that there's actually more to that spoken line than what made the final album. In the original, unreleased version, narrator Gerry O'Driscoll continued, "The only thing that makes it look light is the sun."

Dark Side of the Moon, is one of the most popular albums of all-time and spent a record number of weeks on the Billboard charts between 1973 and 1988.


Photos: Getty Images


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