A Great Mother's Day Gift Idea!

A while ago, I suggested to Meredith that she get somebody a map of the Moon as a present (while she was on the phone, trying to ignore me). Once I said it out loud, I became enamored of the concept, initially meant to be nothing more than an unexpected, bizarre, and not particularly fitting gift. Here are some reasons why a map of the Moon is a good idea for a gift. (Please note that I am thinking of a map of our Earth's Moon, not any of the myriad other planetary satellites currently known to man.)

• The moon is really cool. Think about it.
• Maps make good decorations, and not many people already have this one, so you wouldn't look like a poser.
• If you are ever on the moon, it will be useful. There's nobody up there you can just ask for directions from.
• Improved knowledge of the moon's "seas" and their cool names, like Mare Imbrium (the sea of rains), Mare Anguis (the serpent sea), and Mare Crisium (the sea of crises).
• A visual aid in case you ever need to determine if the moon in the sky is genuine or if it has been replaced with a false moon for some reason.
• Street cred with astronomers.
• A source of moon information that does not rely on an internet connection to access, potentially useful if dastardly people, robots, or aliens colonize the moon and use their moon base to sever Earth's lines of communication.
• If you are yourself a dastardly person, robot, or alien looking to colonize the moon, a map would help you pick a good location.
• If we ever significantly change the moon, a vintage map would be a nice collector's item.
• If you don't feel like being bothered by somebody looking for directions here on Earth, you can pull out the moon map and ask them again what address they're looking for, then slowly shake your head and inform them it doesn't seem to be on your map.

You might be thinking at this point that a moon compass would be a nice compliment to the moon map. Don't be an idiot, that's a terrible idea.