The moon has always been close to the heart.

It’s lit up poems, songs, movies—and many a lonely terrace. Shakespeare warned us not to swear by it. Sangam poets poured longing into it.

In Tamil, as in several other languages, the moon just doesn’t stop with setting the scenery. It’s emotion. It’s memory. And, It’s mood lighting for a thousand songs.

If you grew up with Ilaiyaraaja, you know this. He turned moonlight into music. “Ilaya Nila” played like a breeze across the night. “Nilaave Vaa” was a heartfelt invitation. They weren’t just songs. They were midnight conversations with the sky.

And years later, A.R. Rahman joined the moonlight symphony with “Vennilave Vennilave” (“Chanda Re” in Hindi), where Kajol and Prabhu Deva danced under its glow. The moon became a stellar witness to yearning—even as it received an invitation to descend, play, and promised a safe send-off.

They weren’t just songs. They were midnight conversations with the sky.

Back then, the moon stored everything. First loves. Break-ups. Dreams we were too shy to share.

And now?

The moon has upgraded to the cloud. Literally.

From Music to Metadata

A company called Lonestar Data Holdings is sending tiny data centres to the moon. Why? Because it’s cold out there. Minus 173°C cold. Perfect for keeping servers cool. And thanks to uninterrupted sunlight, solar power works like a dream.

Engineers are doing what poets did—staring at the moon. But instead of sonnets, they’re uploading files.

There’s something deliciously ironic about it all. For centuries, poets looked up at the moon for inspiration. Now, engineers are looking at the dark side of the moon for server racks. Somewhere, a bard is sighing while a CIO is smiling.

Even better? These moon-based data centres are being designed to withstand radiation, dust storms, and the general grumpiness of outer space. No mood swings here. The dark side of the moon may be inconstant in poetry, but it’s becoming pretty dependable in IT infrastructure.

Once a metaphor for mystery and madness, now a hub for metadata. The moon used to hold lyrics and longing. Now, it might hold your cloud backup.

And a few moons from now, if someone asks where your data is—well, irrespective of how bright the data is, it could well be on the dark side of the moon.