The “man in the moon” concept has ancient origins that span multiple cultures, arising from humans’ natural tendency to see faces and familiar shapes in random patterns (called pareidolia). The most widely recognized Western tradition comes from European folklore, where the dark patches on the moon’s surface were interpreted as facial features – typically two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Different cultures developed their own explanations for how this “man” ended up there. One of the oldest European legends tells of a man who was banished to the moon for gathering sticks on the Sabbath, violating religious law. Other versions describe a man who stole cabbages or committed other transgressions. Germanic folklore often portrayed him carrying a bundle of thorns or sticks, which people claimed to see in the moon’s surface patterns. The concept appears in literature as early as the medieval period and became deeply embedded in Western culture. Shakespeare referenced it in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and it appears in countless nursery rhymes and folk tales. Interestingly, not all cultures see a man in the moon. Many East Asian cultures see a rabbit (the “moon rabbit”), some see a woman, and others perceive entirely different images like a toad or various animals. The specific interpretation often reflects the viewing culture’s folklore and mythology. The “man in the moon” remains a common cultural reference today, though it’s become more whimsical than literal as our scientific understanding of the moon has advanced.
Pareidolia is the tendency for humans to perceive meaningful patterns, shapes, or familiar objects in random or ambiguous stimuli. It’s a psychological phenomenon where our brain automatically tries to make sense of unclear visual information by interpreting it as something recognizable. There is visual pareidolia where we see faces in clouds, rock formations, or building facades. There is even such things as seeing Jesus’s face appearing on toast or other objects. One of my favorite Peanuts cartoons has Charlie Brown and Linus lying on a sunny hilltop looking at the clouds. Charlie Brown asks Linus if he ever sees things in the clouds. Linus says, “Why yes, Charlie Brown, just now I see a scene from the stoning of the Apostle Paul…how about you?” Whereupon, Charlie Brown says, “I was gonna say I see a duckie, but never mind…”This phenomenon occurs because human brains are incredibly sophisticated pattern-recognition systems, especially tuned to detect faces and other important survival-related shapes. Our neural pathways are so primed to identify faces that we often “see” them even when they’re not actually there. Pareidolia isn’t a flaw or mental disorder – it’s a normal function of how our brains process information. It helped our ancestors quickly identify potential threats, food sources, or other humans in complex environments. The same mechanism that might help you spot a camouflaged predator also makes you see a face in your morning pancake. The phenomenon has cultural significance too, often inspiring religious interpretations, artistic works, and folklore like the various cultural interpretations of lunar surface features.
Recently there has been a quite serious push by conservative MAGA folks to have Trump’s face put on Mount Rushmore. Just days after Trump took office for his second term, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) introduced a bill (H.R.792) directing the Secretary of the Interior to arrange for the carving of Trump’s figure on Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The effort has gained support from various quarters with both Congressional and media support. Fox News hosts have praised the idea, with Harris Faulkner claiming “a growing number of conservatives are pushing to add Trump to the legendary monument”. Former congressman Jason Chaffetz expressed support, saying “if there’s room up there I think it’d be great”. The idea has received support from Republican members of Congress, conservative media, and Elon Musk, who even offered to help chisel Trump’s visage into the granite. Trump has longed to have his face carved into Mount Rushmore even before becoming president, and reportedly floated the idea during his first term in 2020, asking South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem about the possibility. However, experts say this is physically impossible. The famous mountain does not have enough rock that is suitable to be carved for Trump’s (or anyone else’s) face. Even back in 1936, lead sculptor Gutzon Borglum said the “stone limitations” of the site meant a fifth person couldn’t be added. Former National Park Service Superintendent Dan Wenk explained that trying to make changes to the mountain’s structure would run the risk of destroying it, and compared altering Mount Rushmore to changing Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” mural. So while the push exists and has vocal supporters, geological and engineering realities make it essentially impossible to implement.
But the fact that Rep. Luna led this charge has given me a thought. I recently saw a specific claim of “84 planned moon landings” between now and 2030. While there are indeed numerous lunar missions planned over the coming years and decades, the actual number is likely much lower than 84 (perhaps 20-30). On the near-term horizon, several missions are planned, including Blue Ghost Mission 1 by Firefly Aerospace, Griffin-1 by Astrobotic, Blue Moon Mk-1 by Blue Origin, IM-3 by Intuitive Machines, and Hakuto-R Mission 2 by ispace. NASA has planned Artemis missions through Artemis XI in 2036, with yearly landings planned after Artemis VI. The timeline includes Artemis II: April 2026 (crewed lunar flyby), Artemis III: No earlier than mid-2027 (first crewed landing since Apollo), and Artemis IV through XI: Scheduled through 2036. The China’s Chandrayaan-4 sample return mission is still on, but may not happen until 2027 or 2028. All that said, there is a lot going on with the moon in the not too distant future. That’s what gave me the idea.
I bet with a little bit of astronomical, geological, ordinance and artistic creativity, we could figure out a way to make just a few key and notable changes to the face of the moon so that it could resemble Donald Trump. In the art world that’s called a line drawing, or more specifically, a minimal line drawing. It’s a contour drawing that uses just the essential outlines to define a subject’s form. This is sometimes called a gesture drawing that captures the essence of a subject with quick, economical strokes. The most famous example might be Picasso’s bull series, where he progressively reduced a detailed bull drawing down to just a few essential lines that still unmistakably suggested the animal. Artists like Henri Matisse, Paul Klee, and David Hockney have also mastered this technique. This approach demonstrates the power of visual perception – how our brains can fill in missing information and recognize forms from surprisingly minimal visual cues. It’s a fundamental skill in art that requires understanding which lines are truly essential to communicate an idea. It is a combination of artistic skill and pareidolia.
Imagine everyone in the world being able to look up to the heavens for eternity and be greeted by the immutable image of Donald Trump every night. That would be the ultimate global art installation and put into perspective the reality of how much Trump is changing life as we know it on this planet. That way no one would ever need to go to Mount Rushmore, where they max out at about 2.5 million visitors per annum, to idolize the great man. This way, all 8.4 billion of the world’s huddled masses can enjoy the view forever….and I’m sure Donald would only want a modest ticket price for the privelege. Remember, you heard it here first.