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Chapter 28: The Moon

Chapter 28: The Moon. Moons Are Natural Satellites. Satellite – a body that orbits another body 7 planets in our solar system have smaller orbiting bodies Artificial satellites – satellites of Earth Space telescopes Weather data equipment . Moon Vocabulary – Mare (Maria). Mare

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Chapter 28: The Moon

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  1. Chapter 28: The Moon

  2. Moons Are Natural Satellites • Satellite – a body that orbits another body • 7 planets in our solar system have smaller orbiting bodies • Artificial satellites – satellites of Earth • Space telescopes • Weather data equipment

  3. Moon Vocabulary – Mare (Maria) • Mare • Latin for “sea” • Large dark area of basalt on the moon • Dark solidified lava • Formed more than 3 billion years ago

  4. Moon Vocabulary - Craters • Bowl-shaped depressions • Cover surface of moon • Formed from leftover debris during solar system’s formation

  5. Moon Vocab – Ridges and Rilles • Rilles • Long deep channels that run through maria • Ridges • Long narrow elevations of rock • Rise out of surface • Criss-cross maria

  6. Moon Vocab - Regolith • Layer of gas and dust • Covers most of the lunar surface • Formed from crushing of lunar rocks by meteorites

  7. Lunar Rocks • Similar to Earth rocks • Contains many of same elements • Igneous rocks • Rocks that form when magma cools

  8. Sides of the Moon… • Near Side • Always faces Earth • Far Side • Always faces away

  9. Lunar Layers • 3 layers • Crust • Outer layer • Thicker on Far Side • 60-100 km thick • Mantle • Beneath crust • Made of silica, magnesium, iron • Core • Small, made of iron • Neither completely solid nor completely liquid • Why Moon has almost no gravitational field

  10. How Was the Moon Formed? • Giant Impact Hypothesis • Large Mars-sized object collided with Earth • Over 4 billion years ago • Chunks of Earth’s mantle ejected into orbit • Debris eventually clumped together to form the Moon

  11. Differentiation of Lunar Interior • When Moon formed… • Surface was covered by ocean of molten rock • Over time: • Denser material moved to center  formed core • Less dense material cooled  formed crust

  12. Meteorite Bombardment • Meteorites had hit the Moon over time • Bombardment decreased significantly 3 billion years ago • Stopped all geologic activity on Moon • Moon has looked the same since then

  13. Other Minor Bodies • Other satellites that orbit the Sun • Leftover debris from formation of solar system • Include • Asteroids • Meteoroids • Meteorites • Comets

  14. Asteroids • Fragments of rock and metal • Orbit the Sun in ellipses • Largest of the minor bodies • Known as “minor planets” • Largest asteroid in solar system: Ceres • Other examples: • Earth-grazers – pass within 2x distance to the Moon • Trojan asteroids • Located on either side of Jupiter

  15. Meteoroids • Called meteors when enter Earth’s atmosphere • Small pieces of rock or metal in space • Meters to millimeters in size

  16. Meteorites • Any part of a meteor that is left when it hits Earth • 3 types: • Stony • Iron • Stony-Iron

  17. Comets • Bodies of rock, metals, gases, and ice • Orbit the Sun • Long period – orbit lasts longer than 100 years • Short period – orbit lasts shorter than 100 years • 3 major parts of a comet • Nucleus  core • Coma  spherical cloud of gas and dust around core • Tail evaporating gas and dust • Faces away from Sun

  18. Comets, Cont’d • Originate in the Oort Cloud • Spherical cloud of gas and dust • Lies beyond Pluto’s orbit • Contains nuclei of billions of comets

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