The Moon

Our nearest neighbor in space, the

Moon is the only natural satellite of the
Earth. Apart from the Sun, it is the
brightest object in the sky.. Great
plains stretch over the moon's surface,
dotted with huge mountains and
scarred by numerous craters.
http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
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 BRIEF SURVEY OF THE MOON

• Mean Distance from earth 384,403 km (238,856 mi)

• Diameter 3480 km (2160 mi)
• Period of revolution 27.322 earth days
• Eccentricity of orbit 0.055
• Inclination of orbit 5°9´
• Rotation period (sidereal day 27.322 earth days
• Period of phases 29.53 earth days
• Mass (earth = 1) 0.012
• Mean density (water = 1) 0.605
• http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/space/moon.html
• antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov
The Moon's Origin is Uncertain.
• There are three hypothesis concerning the
Moon’s origin.
– that the Moon and the Earth formed at the
same time from the Solar Nebula;
– that the Moon split off of the Earth;
– that the Moon formed elsewhere and was
subsequently captured by the Earth.

– http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 That the Moon and the Earth formed at
the same time from the Solar Nebula

This theory proposes that the earth and

moon, and all other bodies of the solar
system, condensed independently out of
the huge cloud of cold gases and solid
particles that constituted the primordial
solar nebula. Much of this material finally
collected at the center to form the sun.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
www.eso.org
 2nd Hypothesis
That the Moon split off from the Earth
• New and detailed information from the
Moon rocks led to the theory that a
Mars-sized object collided with the
Earth soon after it was formed, a geyser
of molten material spewed into space,
and entered orbit around Earth. Some
of this material fell back to Earth, but
much of it coalesced to form the Moon.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
www.eso.org
 2nd Hypothesis
That the Moon split off from the Earth (continued).
• Planetismal impact. First published in
1975, this theory proposes that early
in the earth’s history, well over 4
billion years ago, the earth was struck
by a large body called a planetismal,
about the size of Mars. The
catastrophic impact blasted portions
of the earth and the planetismal into
earth orbit, where debris from the
impact eventually coalesced to form
the moon. http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/space/moon.html
 2nd Hypothesis
That the Moon split off from the Earth (continued).

• This theory, after years of research on

moon rocks in the 1970s and ’80s, has
became the most widely accepted one for
the moon’s origin. The major problem with
the theory is that it would seem to require
that the earth melted throughout, following
the impact, whereas the earth’s
geochemistry does not indicate such a
radical melting.
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/space/moon.html
www.eso.org
 Formation by fission from the Earth.
2nd version, 2nd hypothesis
• The modern version of this theory proposes that
the moon was spun off from the earth when the
earth was young and rotating rapidly on its axis.
This idea gained support partly because the
density of the moon is the same as that of the
rocks just below the crust, or upper mantle, of
the earth. A major difficulty with this theory is
that the angular momentum of the earth, in order
to achieve rotational instability, would have to
have been much greater than the angular
momentum of the present earth-moon system.
• http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/space/moon.html
 3rd Hypothesis
That the Moon formed elsewhere and was
subsequently captured by the Earth.
• The last hypothesis says the moon was a
small planet traveling around the sun. The
Earth's gravity captured the moon, making
it the Earth's satellite. It should be noted
that the moon’s orbit is getting larger each
year by 3 to 4 centimeters per year (not by
much).
 Chapters In The Moon’s History
• Lunar evolution models based on Lunar Orbiter mapping
of the Moon and on Apollo and Luna sample analyses
suggest five principal episodes:
• 1.accretion and large-scale melting;
• 2. crustal separation and concurrent massive meteoritic
bombardment;
• 3. partial melting at depth diminished bombardment;
• 4. with further melting at depth and emplacement of
mare basalts;
• 5. cessation of volcanism and gradual internal cooling.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Physical Properties
• The moon's diameter is about
one-fourth that of earth. The
moon's volume is about one-
fiftieth that of the earth. The
mass of the earth is 81 times
greater than the mass of the
moon. Thus the average
density of the moon is only
three-fifths, and the pull of
gravity at the lunar surface
only one-sixth that of the
earth.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Physical Properties
• The Moon has no atmosphere. Any early
atmosphere that the Moon might have
had, has escaped from the Moon's feeble
gravitational pull. Because of the lack of
any atmosphere, the temperature of the
Moon's surface varies between -180 C
and 110 C. The Moon offers little
protection from the solar wind, cosmic rays
or micrometeorites and so it is not
surprising that there is no form of life on
the Moon.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 What is the Composition of the
Moon?
• The lunar crust is composed of a
variety of primary elements,
including uranium, thorium,
potassium, potassium, oxygen,
silicon, magnesium, iron, titanium,
calcium, aluminum, and
hydrogen.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Below the Surface
• The Moon's crust averages 68 km thick and
varies from essentially 0 km under Mare Crisium
to 107 km north of the crater Korolev on the
lunar far side. Below the crust is a mantle and
probably a small core (roughly 340 km radius
and 2% of the Moon's mass). Unlike the Earth's
mantle, however, the Moon's mantle is only
partially molten. Curiously, the Moon's center of
mass is offset from its geometric center by about
2 km in the direction toward the Earth. Also, the
crust is thinner on the lunar near side.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
Cross section of the Moon
 Where did all the Moon Gas Go?
• The moon has no free water and essentially no
atmosphere, and no weather exists to change its
surface; yet it is not totally inert. Evidence from
Clementine suggested that there may be water
ice in some deep craters near the Moon's south
pole which are permanently shaded. This has
now been confirmed by Lunar Prospector. There
is apparently ice at the north pole as well.
http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Topography

• The study of lunar topography began with the

invention of the telescope. Galileo studied the
moon through a telescope in 1609. Later
astronomers made maps of its physical features,
discovering mountains and plains, some large
craters, and long valleys. Some of them thought
the plains on the moon were covered with water
and called them 'Maria' (Latin for seas). This
name has persisted, though it's now known that
there's no water on the moon's surface.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Maria and Mountains
• The dark surface regions (mare
regions), located mainly on the
side observable from Earth,
represent basaltic (volcanic)
flooding of basins created by
major asteroid impacts. Apollo
and Luna sample isotopic dating
places mare basalts in the range
of 3-4 thousand million years, in
contrast to 4.2-4.5 thousand
million for highland samples.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
• http://wfmh.org.pl/thorgal/Moon/
• The brighter surface regions (highlands)
represent the original lunar crustal material
shaped by saturation bombardment of
meteoritic material. The brighter, densely
cratered, mountainous highland regions
(sometimes called terrae), are found
mainly on the southern part of the Moon's
near side, and over the entire far side.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Craters

• Much of the Moon's surface is covered with

craters. These are the result of impacts by
meteors. The largest are about 200 km in
diameter, the smallest are only about a meter
across. Most of these craters were formed
between 3000 and 4000 million years ago. Many
of the craters were made by meteoric impacts.
Some of the craters are large enough to encircle
several cities as big as New York, with
mountains higher than the Rockies rising up
from their floors.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Moon Crater

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/peter.lloyd3/Moon/Craters/Copernicus040330.html
 Oh Earth, Where have all your
Craters Gone?
• When a meteor strikes Earth, it makes a crater,
just as it does on the Moon. But on Earth, wind,
rain, and the motions of the crust erase or fill in
these craters.
• Since the Moon has no atmosphere, there is no
rain or wind to erode the craters. And because
the Moon's interior is no longer hot and active
like Earth's, there are no active volcanoes on the
Moon. So craters formed by meteorites on the
Moon last a long time.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
We only get to see one side of the moon.
 Moon’s Orbit
• As the Moon orbits the Earth it goes
through a sequence of phases as the
proportion of the visible illuminated
hemisphere changes. The Moon shines
by reflecting the light from the Sun and
shows the characteristic phases during
each orbit of the Earth. Near New Moon,
when the sunlit portion of the Moon is
small, the phenomenon of `the old Moon
in the young Moon's arms' is often seen.
This is caused by sunlight being
reflected towards the Moon by the Earth
and being reflected back again to the
Earth. We are seeing Earthshine, the
•
equivalent of moonlight on the Earth.
http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Moon Phases
New Moon

Moon Crescent

Moon Quarter

Moon Full

Moon Last

Quarter Crescent

Moon New

New Moon
– http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Around and Around it goes
and where it stop nobody knows.
• The lunar orbit is elliptical. The moon and
the Earth orbit around their common
center of gravity. The moon's orbital period
around the earth, and also its rotation
period, is 27.322 days. Since the period of
the orbit is the same as the Moon's
rotational period (or lunar day), we always
see the same side of the Moon facing us.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Tides and Gravity

• The pull of the moon's gravity causes the tides.

The Moon's gravitational attraction is stronger on
the side of the Earth nearest to the Moon and
weaker on the opposite side. This causes two
small bulges in the sea water, one in the
direction of the Moon and one directly opposite.
Because the Earth rotates much faster than the
Moon moves in its orbit, the bulges move around
the Earth about once a day giving two high tides
per day.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Cause of Tidal Phenomena

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 Moon Landing

• Three astronauts traveled to the moon in

the Apollo 11 spacecraft, launched from
Earth by a giant Saturn rocket. The main
capsule orbited the moon, while
astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin
Aldrin flew down in a small landing craft.
The first man on the moon was Neil
Armstrong, on July 20th 1969.
http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
 Apollo 11

http://www.maverick2.com/gifs/Aircraft/favorites/NASA/Apollo11-moon_l.jpg
• From 1969 to 1972, six Apollo missions sent 12
astronauts to the Moon's surface. They gathered
lunar rocks and soil and brought them back to
Earth. They also left behind four special mirrors
aimed at Earth. Astronomers beamed pulses of
laser light to the Moon and measured the time it
takes for the light to reflect back to Earth. This
technique has established the exact distance
from Earth to the Moon to within a fraction of an
inch.
• http://kosmoi.com/Science/Earth/Moon/
Final Review