The Moon
Our Nearest Neighbor
Introduction
The Moon
The Moon
O, swear not by the Moon,
the inconstant Moon,
That monthly changes in
her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise
variable.
Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet: Act 2,
Scene 2
There are nights when the wolves are silent,
and only the Moon howls.
George Carlin
I like to think that the Moon is there,
even if I am not looking at it.
Albert Einstein
The Moon
There is more poetry, stories, and
literature written about the Moon
than any other celestial object.
This is also the only other celestial
object that man has ever visited
outside of Earth.
Do you know how many men have
walked on the Moon? (12)
How many women? (0)
Now we want to return….Why on
Earth should be return to the Moon?
Six reasons to return to the Moon
Why Go Back to the
Moon?
Reason 1:
The Moon
The Moon is only 240,000 miles away
(384,400 kilometers ) a mere stone'sthrow in cosmic terms, and with a
diameter of 2,172 miles, larger than the
dwarf planet Pluto.
Because the Moon is so close it moves
oceans, its gravitational pull causing
them to bulge in the centre, creating
tides. And it moves the entire planet
Earth.
The Moon's gravity has twice the pull of
the Sun on Earth's waters. Consider that
the human body is 60% water, and next
time you're out under the full Moon, see
if you can feel it.
The Moon
The Earth is 83 times more massive than the
Moon.
The Earth’s radius (the distance from the
center of the Earth to a point on the surface)
is almost 4 times greater than the Moon’s
radius.
Because of these differences in mass and
radius, the strength of gravity is much
weaker on the surface of the Moon than on
the surface of the Earth.
A person who weighs 100 pounds on the
Earth weighs only 17 pounds on the
Moon. In other words, gravity on the Moon
is one-sixth as strong as it is on the Earth.
The Moon
The moon orbits the earth once
every 28 days. It is tidally locked
with earth and always shows the
same face to earth meaning that it
rotates around its axis once every
28 days.
If you were in space, hovering
high above the north pole, looking
down upon Earth, you would
observe the earth revolving about
its axis (rotating) in counterclockwise direction. The moon
orbits the earth also in a counterclockwise direction, and once
each orbit, the moon revolves
around its own axis, also in a
counter-clockwise direction.
The Moon
Apogee and perigee refer to the distance from the Earth to the moon.
Apogee is the furthest point from the earth.
Perigee is the closest point to the earth and it is in this stage that the moon
appears larger.
If you were to photograph a full moon at apogee and perigee (using the same
lens), here's how the two sizes would compare: Audio pronunciation for
Photo: Moonconnection.com
The Moon
Effects of Apogee and Perigee
The apogee and perigee of the moon have an effect on the tides here on
Earth. When the moon is at apogee, the furthest distance from the Earth, it
has less gravitational pull which, along with other factors that influence the
tides, can contribute to lower tides or lower variation in the high/low tide
level. When the moon is at perigee, closer to the Earth, there is much more
gravitational pull which contributes to the opposite effect: higher tides or
greater variation in the high and low tide.
Photo: Moonconnection.com
The Moon
Week 2
Phases of the Moon
The Moon's Phases
Source: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The lunar month is the 29.53 days it
takes to go from one new moon to
the next.
During the lunar month, the Moon
goes through all its phases. You can
see the phases in the image. Just like
the Earth, half of the Moon is lit by
the Sun while the other half is in
darkness. The phases we see result
from the angle the Moon makes with
the Sun as viewed from Earth.
The Moon's Phases
Source: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
At new moon, the Moon is lined up between the Earth and the Sun. We see
the side of the Moon that is not being lit by the Sun (in other words, we see
no Moon at all, because the brightness of the Sun outshines the dim Moon!)
The Moon's Phases
Source: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
As the Moon moves eastward
away from the Sun in the sky,
we see a bit more of the sunlit
side of the Moon each night.
The Moon waxes, or appears
to grow fatter, each night.
The first quarter is when half
of the moon is lit, the the
Moon is now one-quarter of
the way through the lunar
month.
The Moon continues to wax.
each night until we see the full
sunlit face of the Moon. We
call this phase the full moon.
The Moon's Phases
Source: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
During the second half of the
lunar month, the Moon grows
thinner each night. We call this
waning. Its shape is still gibbous
at this point, but grows a little
thinner each night. As it reaches
the three-quarter point in its
month, the Moon once again
shows us one side of its disc
illuminated and the other side in
darkness. However, the side that
we saw dark at the first quarter
phase is now the lit side. As it
completes its journey and
approaches new moon again,
the Moon is a waning crescent.
The Phases of the Moon
The Moon
Week 4
Geology of the Moon
The Moon
The surface of the Moon is
covered with impact craters,
and large smooth areas
which ancient observers
named Maria, which is Latin
for Seas. Now we
understand that at one time
they were seas, but seas of
molten rock, generated
from the intense heat of
impacts with extremely
large meteorites, billions of
years ago - when the
planets in the solar system
were still forming.
The most prominent features on the Moon
are featured below.
The most prominent features on the
Moon…No Atmosphere
The Moon has no atmosphere,
so the sky appears black instead
of blue. Since the Moon has no
atmosphere, the temperature
on the Moon’s surface, from 240 degrees F during the lunar
night to +240 degrees F, hot
enough to boil water, during the
lunar day.
There is no air and in most
places no water, as a result
there is very little erosion
occurring on the Lunar surface.
Astronauts visiting the moon
must take their own oxygen and
water.
The most prominent features on the
Moon…Craters
The moon is covered in
craters. The lack of an
atmosphere also leaves the
Moon unprotected from the
Sun’s radiation and
oncoming meteors. The
backside of the moon is
covered in craters.
The most prominent features on the
Moon…Marias
Another type of important feature on
the lunar surface is the maria, the Latin
word for “seas.” These are large darkly
covered regions that to many people
appear to be large seas or oceans. But
there is no liquid water anywhere on th
Moon.
One of the maria, the Sea of Tranquility
is where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldr
first set foot on the Moon. The Moon’s
maria can be seen without a
telescope. It turns out there are no
maria on the Moon’s far side, the side
that always faces away from the Earth.
The most prominent features on the
Moon…Highlands
In addition to craters and
maria, the lunar surface
includes bright regions that
resemble dry-land
continents on the
Earth. These regions have
much higher elevation than
the maria (several
kilometers higher), so they
are called highlands. Most
of the Moon’s craters are in
the highland regions. The
highlands are much brighter
than the maria because
they are composed of
different kinds of rocks.
The most prominent features on the Moon
are featured below.
The Moon
The surface of the Moon is
covered with impact craters,
and large smooth areas
which ancient observers
named Maria, which is Latin
for Seas. Now we
understand that at one time
they were seas, but seas of
molten rock, generated
from the intense heat of
impacts with extremely
large meteorites, billions of
years ago - when the
planets in the solar system
were still forming.
The Moon
As seen in the photo, the
Moon can sometimes look
like a man's face, with the
Sea of Serenity (Mare
Serenitatis) and the Sea of
Tranquility (Mare
Tranquillitatis) composing a
pair of large, close set eyes,
the Sea of Vapours (Mare
Vaporum) forming the bridge
of a long nose, and the Sea
of Clouds (Mare Nubium)
looking like a mouth wide
open in surprise, or laughter.
.
The Moon
Other people and cultures
see different things in the
Moon.
.
What do you see when
you look at the Moon?
Inside the Moon
VS.
Both the Earth and the Moon have a Crust, and Mantle, and a Core. The main
difference is the Earth has an atmosphere (air) where the Moon does not. Also, the
Moon’s core is believed to be a solid iron core as opposed to a molten core like the
Earth’s.
Inside the Moon
The Moon
Supplemental Mission
The Apollo Missions & more
The Moon
On July 20, 1969, the human species
first set foot on a celestial body other
than Earth, and that body was the
Moon. Over the next three years a
total of twelve men would walk on
the Moon. Some of them would drive
dune buggies called Lunar Rovers.
One of them would even hit a golf
ball on the Moon. The wealth of data
they brought back to Earth, including
850 pounds of Moon rocks and soil,
will take generations to analyze.
It was without doubt, as Neil
Armstrong put it, "...a giant leap for
mankind", that hasn't been matched
since.
The 12 Moon Walkers
Neil Armstrong
Apollo 11
Commander
July 20, 1969
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin
Apollo 11
Lunar Module Pilot
Sea of Tranquility
Charles Peter Conrad
Apollo 12
Commander
November 19, 1969
Alan Bean
Apollo 12
Lunar Module Pilot
Ocean of Storms
First man to walk
on the moon,
landed with less
than 30 seconds
of fuel
remaining. Took
core samples.
Planted
American flag.
He was the
second man on
the moon. They
left a plaque on
the Moon, signed
by all three
astronauts and by
President Nixon.
Charles Peter Conrad
was the third man to
walk on the moon.
Had two moonwalk
EVA's (Extra-vehicular
Activity).
Rocket struck by
lightning during takeoff.
The astronauts set
up scientific
experiments, took
photographs,
collected lunar
samples and
returned parts of
old Surveyor 3
probe.
The 12 Moon Walkers
Alan Shepard
Apollo 14
Commander
February 5, 1971
Edgar Mitchell
Apollo 14
Lunar Module Pilot
Fra Mauro Crater
David Scott
Apollo 15
Commander
July 30, 1971
James Irwin
Apollo 15
Lunar Module Pilot
Hadley Rille/Apennines Region
During their stay
on the Moon,
the astronauts
set up scientific
experiments,
took photos,
and collected
lunar samples.
Played golf on
the moon.
Extensive scientific
experiments.
Astronauts almost
got lost when
lunar landscape
became
disorienting.
This was his third
space flight. During
their stay on the
Moon, did scientific
studies. Conducted
Galilean experiment
feather vs. hammer
drop in a vacuum.
This mission took
295 hours and
11minutes. First
use of Lunar Rover.
Astronauts rode
over 27 kilometers
(17 miles). First
Apollo space walk.
The 12 Moon Walkers
John Young
Apollo 16
Commander
April 21, 1972
Charles Duke
Apollo 16
Lunar Module Pilot
Descartes Region
Harrison Schmidt
Apollo 17
Lunar Module Pilot
December 11, 1972
Eugene Cerman
Apollo 17
Commander
Taurus-Littrow Region
Drove 16 miles
on the moon’s
surface in the
lunar rover.
Malfunction
almost scrubbed
landing. Stayed
3 days, got
Lunar Rover up
to almost
18Km/hr
Explored the
highlands of the
moon with John
Young member in
1972.
Involved in mapping
the moon. He also
performed geological
surveys in his capacity
as a geologist. No
other geologist has
set foot on the moon.
Eugene Cerman
was the last man
on the moon in
1972. For the time
being his famous
boot print will be
the last evidence of
man’s visit to the
moon.
The Lunar Update
The Moon has huge craters all
over the surface.
As the south pole of the Moon,
where no sun light ever reaches,
NASA’s LCROSS (Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing
Satellite) found that within the
crater is “rich useful materials,
and the moon is chemically
active and has a water cycle.”
Oct. 21, 2010.
(source: ttp://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/observation.htm
The Lunar Update
NASA continues to use robotic
missions, such as the Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO,
and the Lunar Crater Observation
and Sensing Satellite or LCROSS,
to learn more about the moon,
NASA has not sent people to the
moon since 1972.
Resources
Mexican Sky: A Study of the Cosmos… and our place within it, R. Kerk-Hecker.
http://mexicanskies.com/solarsystem/moon.htm
NASA Website
www.nasa.gov
WikiAnswers: Questions about the Moon
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_Direction_is_moons_revolution#ixzz1TWtEmKfY
.