Moon In My Room Astronomical Nightlight

Moon In My Room is a battery-powered light to hang on the wall of a kid’s bedroom. In the shape of a moon, the shade is a plastic convex disc about a foot (30cm) wide, with a recess at the back to hang on a nail or picture hook. The manufacturers are thoughtful enough to provide three recesses, which let the product be hung at slightly different angles to match the appearance of the moon at the latitude of the viewer. Using the remote control provided it can be set to switch on at dusk. The remote control can also set the Moon In My Room to step through the moon phases, starting with the waxing crescent moon on the right-hand side, through to the full moon and down to the waning crescent moon on the left-hand side. As a way of starting a youngster talking about the way the moon’s appearance changes this product delivers. It is also easier for a child to follow the phases as they step through every thirty seconds, rather than the more abstract notion of comparing the moon as it appears one evening with its appearance a few days before.

As a nightlight this has a timer, which seems to automatically switch off half an hour after the last remote control instruction.

Introduce the Majesty of the Real Moon

However, it really would be worth using it just as an introduction – in the end this is a plastic simulacrum. If the child is more that seven years old, it would be an idea to supplement this with a view of the real thing on a reasonably clear night with something as humble as a half-decent pair of binoculars. Children younger than this may have difficulty adjusting optical equipment for a clear focus, particularly binoculars which may not be adjustable to bring the eyepieces close enough together.

Pros and Cons

A small crosshead screwdriver is needed to change the batteries – three in the Moon In My Room itself and another two in the remote control. This may help keep the batteries inside the product and safe from little prying fingers. It is worth making sure that the remote control is not lost, as without it there is not way to use the Moon In My Room – even as a basic fully illuminated disc nightlight!

As the pictures show, the Moon In My Room is not particularly detailed when viewed in daylight. The steps between the phases are a little bit coarse – there are six sections within the product that are illuminated successively by internal greeny-blue LEDs. While the general effect is reasonable, the illumination falls off a lot towards the top and bottom of the disc.

From and astronomical point of view the product is taking some liberties in that the Moon phases are the result of the variation in the angle of the Sun’s light falling on the sphere of the Moon as viewed from Earth.

Conclusion

This is a fun battery-powered nightlight which does a reasonable job of showing the phases of the Moon. It would be nice if it were executed a little better, and it is worth searching among online stores since it is sold under a range of names with different prices for what looks like the same product.

If it does spark a deeper interest in the Earth’s nearest celestial body, there is a wealth of information on the Web – the Nasa article cited below is a good start!

References

Nasa Moon Worldbook

Moon In My Room in Daylight

At Night (click on image twice for animation)

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