outer space

When I was a kid, I used to think that "Fred" DROVE the moon, because it seemed to follow us whenever we went anywhere at night

Erin, Milwaukee, WI

I was taught in elementary school (I never figured out if the teacher was lazy or just did not understand it herself) that the reason the moon has phases is that half of it is smooth and half of it is pock-marked (That half got hit with asteroids). As the moon turns, only the shiny side reflects light. So when the shiny side is facing you all the way, you get a full moon and so on. I'm ashamed how long I believed that without questioning it.

Anon

I used to think that there were many moons. Full moon, half moon, sliver moon, etc. At some point I heard about new moon, and asked my dad what that was. Of course, he explained that it was all the same moon, only parts of it were in shadow.

Olivia Tacellli

When I was a kid, I somehow got it in my head that humans inhabited both Earth and Jupiter. The image in my mind was that the people of Jupiter were just like us, except that their world leaders sat at a long formal table and talked to Earth via televisions. I was very dissapointed when I learned the truth, and realized I would never be able to visit Jupiter.

Dan Bogus

When I was about five or so, one of my friends told me that when you see the moon while it's still light out, you're really seeing the other side of the earth. I half-belived it for years... ^^;;

Mizu-chan

After reading about the solar system one evening and looking at the pictures of each planet on its orbit (shown as an imaginary line), my cousins and I went out to look at the sky. Shortly thereafter we ran indoors to announce to the adults that we had actually seen some of these orbits up there! Well, apparently there were some searchlights being used in the area whose beams we saw moving across the heavens.

Walter

--I thought that, at night, a giant black blanket was thrown over the top of the world (which I believed was like a snow globe dome) and that the stars were little pin point sized holes someone poked in.

sweet tea

When I was smaller my brother told me that the sun was going to blow up. Well, he was right, but I didn't realise that that would happen in several billion years. For the following week after he told me I had nightmares of the sun exploding. I woke up screaming, "IT'S EXPLODING! HEEEELLLLPPPP!" I still get him for the trauma today...

Kat

I grew up with my grandparents close to an Air Force Base, and I loved to watch the planes flying in the sky. I thought (until I was 9) that the jet trail behind the planes was actually where the planes were scratching the sky. When I started learning about the earth's atmoshpere in school I figured out the sky wasn't flat after all, but I still think about plans scratching the sky when I see one.

Holly

Somehow I used to believe that this whole world is inside an Elephant's stomach and we live inside it too :). Nuts naa.

Anon

When I was like 4 or 5 i used to space program and in one of the show they were talking about the milkyway. After the show i want up to my mom and askd "can I go to the milkyway to get candy" I beliefed the Milkyway was made out of milkyway candy

Sumaiya

When i was reallllllllly little like 2, or something, i used to think that i owned to moon and i would sob and sob whenever "my" moon didnt come out. (like if it was cloudy or a new moon or something)

Anon

there was this girl in my grade 12 history class who asked the question when the class got off topic, "Is the sun like a planet, like can you land on it" me and my friends laughed so hard.

Jason

Once when i was five, i was outside and the moon was out. I would walk down our sidewalk and watch the moon from the corner of my eye. I always believed that the moon followed me. So I would run back and forth in our yard, trying to escape it!

saRAh

I used to think stars were the persons in the sky

ceci91

I used to think we were all living inside the earth instead of on top of it. I wondered how space ships got out. Did they poke a hole through the earth to reach space?

Catherine

I used to believe that satellite dishes made day and night. I don't know why, but I thought when it was night, the satellite dish would release a black sky.

anony

I used to think that the sun moon and stars were in the sky. the sun was like a light and would go out at night. the moon and stars were like night lights that glow in the dark!

Gemma

As a kid we used to go on drives in the country. I noticed all these large things covered by tapolen mats. I asked what was under them. By brother told me they were u.f.o's under there. there was so many of them. Needless to say i was terrified of going in the country where all the aliens were ! (Later i found out it was haybales.)

Casey

I used to think that there are people living on Mars and the moon, that you could travel into outer space, where people from the galaxy visited us all the time.

Edgar