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EARTH’S MOON
THE MOON ROTATES AS IT ORBITS EARTH
The
moon’s
diameter
is about
¼ Earth’s
diameter
The pull
of gravity
keeps the
Moon in
orbit
around
the Earth.
The Moon is earth’s closest neighbor in space.
The distance between Earth and
the moon is about 240,000 miles
100 X the
Distance
from: NYC
to LA
Only one side of the Moon can be seen from
Earth, “The Near Side”
It takes the Moon 27.3 days to orbit the Earth
The Moon’s Craters
Nearside – Side of the Moon
that faces towards Earth
Covered with a lot of dark-colored features
Far side – Side of the Moon that
faces away from Earth
Covered with few dark-colored features
Early astronomers thought that the dark areas might be
bodies of water, so they called the areas MARA. This means
“sea” in Latin.
The moon has…
NO LIFE
NO CLOUDS
NO AIR
NO OCEANS
CRESCENT VS. GIBBOUS MOONS
The amount of the Moon that you see from Earth depends
on the angle between the Moon and the Sun.
When the angle
When the angle
between the Sun and
between the Sun and
the Moon is small,
the Moon is large, you
you see a small
see a large amount of
amount of the Moon.
the Moon.
When the Moon appears
close to the Sun in the sky
When the Moon appears far
away from the Sun in the sky
ECLIPSES
When the Moon,
the Sun, and the
Earth line up
exactly, a shadow
crosses Earth or
the Moon.
An eclipse occurs
when a shadow
makes the Sun or
the Moon seem to
grow dark.
LUNAR ECLIPSES
The Moon becomes dark during a
lunar eclipse because it passes
through Earth’s shadow.
Lunar Eclipses only occur during the FULL moon!
2 PARTS OF EARTH’S SHADOW
Umbra
Penumbra
**Is the darkest part
of Earth’s Shadow
**Is a spreading cone
of lighter shadow
**The entire Moon can
be in darkness because
the Moon is small
enough to fit entirely
within Earth’s umbra.
**The Moon moves into
Earth’s penumbra and
becomes slightly less
bright.
SOLAR ECLIPSES
**Occurs
when the
Moon passes
directly
between Earth
and the Sun.