The Moon

1.
Born” 4-5 billion years ago. The surface of the moon is covered with stones and dust. The outer layer is called the crust. Crust has a thickness from 70 to 100 kilometers. Scientists believe that the Moon in the interior has a very small core of solid iron. Because the core of the moon is in the solid state, the Moon does not own magnetic field.
2.
 A natural satellite
 One of more than 96 moons in our Solar System ( because every planet has own moons)
 The only moon of the planet Earth
3.
 The moon is about 384,000 km from Earth on average.
 At its closest point the moon is 356,410 km from the Earth.
 At its farthest approach the moon is 406,700 km from the Earth.
4.
 The moon’s diameter is 3,476 km
 The circumference of the moon is 10,864 km
 The moon has a mass of 7.35 x 10²² kilograms
5.
 No atmosphere
 No liquid water
 Extreme temperatures
 Daytime = 130°C (265°F)
 Nighttime = -190°C (-310 °F)
 1/6 Earth’s gravity
6.
 Revolution – Moon orbits the Earth every 90 days
 The moon rises in the east and sets in the west
 The moon rises and sets 50 minutes later each day
 Rotation – Moon turns on its axis every 27 days
 Same side of Moon always faces Earth
7.
Tides are the emergence of raising and lowering the levels of the Earth’s oceans caused by the action of attractive force of the moon. The Moon pulls water toward it, and this causes the bulge toward the moon.
8.
There are 8 phases that the moon goes through.
• The new moon phase occurs when the Moon is directly between the Earth and Sun.
• A waxing crescent moon is when the Moon looks like crescent
• The first quarter moon (or a half moon) is when half of the lit portion of the Moon is visible after the waxing crescent phase.
• A waxing gibbous moon occurs when more than half of the lit portion of the Moon can be seen. The waxing gibbous phase occurs between the first quarter and full moon phases.
• A full moon is when we can see the entire lit portion of the Moon. The full moon phase occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun
• The last quarter moon (or a half moon) is when half of the lit portion of the Moon is visible after the waning gibbous phase.
• A waning crescent moon is when the Moon looks like the crescent.

9.
 Moon moves between Earth and Sun
 Moon casts a shadow on part of the Earth
 Total eclipses rare – only once every 360 years from one location!
10.
 Neil Armstrong First man on the Moon – July 20, 1969
 Six Apollo missions (1969-1972)
 12 Americans have walked on the moon
 Much of our knowledge about the Moon has come from human exploration in the 1960s and early 1970s.