Moon in My Room: astronomical nightlight
The Moon in My Room is a sweet little nightlight, a glowing, detailed lunar landscape that rotates through the phases of the moon.
Link
(via Babygadget)
The Moon in My Room is a sweet little nightlight, a glowing, detailed lunar landscape that rotates through the phases of the moon.
Link
(via Babygadget)
the latest
latest episodes
Note that this product is sold with various different branding and packaging for prices ranging from $20 to $50.
I'd buy this in a heartbeat if I knew how fast it went through the phases. If it strobes through, I'd never get to sleep.
Our son has had this up on the wall for a few years now-
it cycles through every 30 seconds or so, we mostly have in on full moon for the added light at his request.
I strongly recommend putting velcro on the back of the remote and sticking it somewhere- if you lose it, no moon for you!
I actually disdain this as an educational item. It does not help in anyway to understand what actually causes the apparent shadow, and if anything further confuses the issue.
i bought one at the thrift store for 5 bucks...it is crap.
the 'phase' aspect is totally fubared...its not a full hemisphere only a flattened dome of semi-opaque plastic with a very vague, unlabeled moon map (far from 'detailed') printed on it (so theres no room for a shutter to rotate). under this is a series of 5 angled vanes separating 6 white LEDs that are all along the equator. (the light from them doesnt quite make it to the poles) the lighting is far too uneven to give any impression of 'phase'
but hey, for 5 bucks i got 6 white leds, a plastic moon, and various other components (mostly in the remote...including an IR led and detector and three tiny and desolderable button switches), but i certainly wouldnt pay a cent more...
p.s. why are most science toys so very disappointing?
We paid 20 about a year ago, each phase change takes about 5 sec, 12 phases in 60 sec. Using the remote they can manually step thru the phases or turn it on full or off, the moon turns off automatically after they are asleep. We love it!
re"p.s. why are most science toys so very disappointing?"
I agree. So many cheap plastic stuff out there just to cash in on the general angst that we need to teach our kids "Science". I applaud the market demand, but unfortunately it comes at a time when cheap imports are the rule (and I personally heard from an owner of a product maker that Wal-Mart specifically requires economies of production that demand the product to be made in China).
i bought the national geographic version from target for $18. it has a nice convex shape to it with some wicked moon texture, too. i think it cycles through all the phases 1 min at a time. it's really bright and looks great in a dark room.
As far as cheap science toys go, this is not a science toy. We bought it for our 2.5 yr old because he loves the moon and enjoys a night light. Anyone who buys this as a teaching tool should go outside. My kid just loves the moon, wants a night-light and enjoys playing with the remote; who can deny using a remote ain't important. There's plenty of time to teach him about shadows and earth glow. For christ's sake what do you expect for 20 bucks? We love the damn thing. Lighten up guys, it's a toy. P.S. love boing boing!
My daughter loves the moon too. I know she'd be thrilled to have the moon in her room - especially one that could do both "banana moon" and "lollipop moon".
all right, i surrender! sorry to trash everyones favorite new toy. if it does in fact inspire an interest in astronomy in yer young 'uns, then awesome, for real. hooray! and yes, if i'm expecting to get something like that awesome, laser-etched, 4-foot across, ridiculously accurate, with enhanced relief, cast bronze moon model at the rose center for earth and space at the american museum of natural history for FIVE BUCKS, then well, i guess i need to have my head examined...though that would be SWEET.
here, i'll make it up to you: the first HD footage of the moon from KAGUYA, the new japanese lunar orbiter, released yesterday ...enjoy!
Hey sexyrobot, thanks for the breathtaking link. Take Care.