The Moon

1. The Moon

2. The moon is our only natural satellite and is located about 238,000 miles from earth.

3. The temperature varies from 260 degrees F to –280 degrees F.

4. It is the second brightest object in the sky after the sun.

5. The moon is fairly small in relation to other bodies in the solar system.

6. The earth is more than 4 times larger than it is and has 6 times the gravity.

7. The moon is considered “dead” because it has no activity in its core and contains no living organisms or fossils.

8. The moon’s surface is covered with mountains, craters, and valleys.

9. The primary types of terrain on the moon are cratered maria and smooth highlands.

10. maria highlands

11. The biggest crater is 1,400 miles across and over 7 miles deep (or almost 7 times deeper than Grand Canyon).

12. That’s about as wide as the distance from Tucson to Indiana.

13. There are over 3 TRILLION craters on the surface of the moon

14. The moon has noatmosphere to allow life to exist on its surface although there have been signs of water on the surface.

15. This weak gravity is not strong enough to hold onto air near its surface.

16. Earth, on the other hand, has a strong gravitational field and can keep its atmosphere continual1y in orbit around itself.

17. Earth’s stronger gravity also keeps the moon in orbit around it.

18. The pull is a little greater if they are on the Moon's side, and slightly lesser if they are on the side away from the Moon.

19. The moon does not have a strong enough gravity to hold onto an atmosphere, although trace amount of sodium and potassium gases have been found.

20. Main Theories on Origin of the Moon

21. The moon and the earth formed at the same time as the result of a star explosion.

22. The moon split off from the earth.

23. The moon formed elsewhere and was captured in earth’s gravity.

24. Currently accepted theory: a very large object (as large as Mars) collided with the earth and the moon formed from the ejected material.

26. The most observable effect of the moon’s influence on the earth is the creation of tidesin the oceans.

28. The moon’s gravity creates the tides on earth.

29. The tides go in twice a day andout twice a day.

31. When the moon is directly in line with the earth and the sun (twice a day), the tides go out and leave the shores exposed.

34. When the moon passes out of linewith the earth and the sun (also twice a day), the tides return and reflood the beaches.

36. From earth,we can only see50% of the moon’s surface at any one time.

37. The backside of the moon had never been seen until Russian and American space satellites orbited the moon.

38. Half of the moon is always in sunlight just as half the earth has day while the other half has night.

39. On earth this is called nightand day.

41. The moon orbits the earth in roughly 29 days.

42. During a month, the moon’s surface takes on several different appearances called phases.

43. As the moon orbits the earth, the angle between the sun, earth and the moonchanges causing the moon phases.

44. During the 29.5 days of a month, the moon passes from new moon to full moon and then back to new moon.

45. Moon phases There are 8 phases or different appearances to the moon each month.

47. new moon crescent 1st quarter gibbous full moon gibbous 3rd quarter crescent moon phases then back to new moon

49. crescent moons show only a small sliver of light

50. gibbous moons are when the moon’s visible surface is more than half illuminated.