The Moon Researched and compiled by Mrs. Terri Reed 5 th Grade Brookhollow February 2005

What is the moon? The moon is Earth’s natural satellite. It orbits, or travels around, Earth. It’s 1/6 the size of Earth, so its gravitational pull is also 1/6 of Earth’s.

Why does the moon shine? The moon does not produce its own light. It shines because it reflects light from the sun. Think of the Sun as a giant light bulb, and the Moon as a mirror.

What’s the moon made of? The moon is made of rocks. The rocks are igneous which means they were formed by cooled lava.

How do scientists know? Scientists learned a lot about the moon from six American astronaut visits in In 1994, the moon was mapped by an unmanned spaceship Clementine and in 1999 by NASA’s Lunar Prospector. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the Moon in 1969

Moon rocks The astronauts brought back moon rocks for scientists to study on Earth. By studying these rocks, scientists believe the moon is about 4.6 billion years old, about the same age as Earth.

Does the moon move? The moon moves in two ways. It revolves around Earth in a cycle that takes 29-1/2 days. This is the reason the moon appears to change shape in the sky.

The moon also rotates It rotates on its axis in perfect synchronization with Earth’s movement. It takes the same amount of time for the moon to rotate on its axis as it does to complete an orbit of Earth; therefore, we only see one side of the moon at all times. We call this moon’s “near side.”

Far side of the moon The “far side” of the moon is significantly different than the side that faces Earth. It hosts the largest impact crater in the entire solar system known to man. The crater’s diameter is 700 miles. This picture was taken on 12/24/68 from the Apollo 8 spacecraft. (NASA photograph)

Is there air on the moon? There is very little air on the moon; the moon has almost no atmosphere. Because there’s almost no atmosphere it is unable to trap heat, Moon temperatures range from 100 degrees Celsius at noon to -173 degrees Celsius at night. There’s no weather on the moon.

No wind Because there’s very little air, there’s virtually no wind on the moon. The footprints left by Apollo astronauts will last for centuries because the small air movement will not erode or change them.

Is there water on the moon? Until the late 1990s, scientists believed there was no water on the moon. However, the Clementine mission discovered ice at the moon’s poles, and later the Lunar Prospector supported the evidence. Scientists think the water may come from comets which hit the moon occasionally.

So what is on the moon? For centuries, men thought the dark spots on the moon were large pools of water. They are called “maria” which means “sea” and are known as plains.

If not water, then what? Maria are low level areas covered with layers of lava – similar to those that erupt from volcanoes in Hawaii. Scientists believe the moon formed around the same time as Earth, and that its core was originally hot and molten. They think the “seas” came from volcanic flows early in the moon’s existence.

What are the light areas? The light-colored parts of the moon are called highlands. They are higher and more rugged areas than the maria and are made of rock that cooled slowly deep within the moon. The highlands are covered with holes called craters.

Why are there holes on the moon? Scientists believe the craters are the result of meteorites slamming into the moon. Some craters are up to 700 miles wide.

Moon mountains The highest mountains are over 8,000m high – almost as tall as Mount Everest. Moon mountains did not form the same way as Earth’s mountains. Scientists believe they are the edges of old impact craters.

Moon valleys Unlike Earth’s valleys, the moon’s valleys are not formed by running water. Scientists believe lunar valleys, called rilles, were formed when lava melted into the surface. This valley is called Hadley Rille.

Moon’s affect on Earth As the moon moves in its orbit around Earth, its gravity pulls on Earth’s water. This causes high tide on the side of Earth facing the moon and on the opposite side of Earth. Low tide occurs at the other two sides of Earth. Tides change every six hours as Earth rotates.

Low tide and high tide

Moon Photographs

Reflecting … Would you find sedimentary rocks on the moon? Do weathering and erosion take place on the moon? Why or why not? If you went to the moon for a visit, what would you need to carry? Food? Water? Oxygen tank? What kind of clothes would you need? Would you need an umbrella? Could you talk on the moon? Would you find plants on the moon? Animals?

Sources ml maria.jpg 2Earc%2Enasa%2Egov%2Fnasa%2Fspace%2Fprospector%2Flunar1%2Ehtml ml

Picture Sources Plum Crater Solar Eclipse high and low tides Waxing crescent maria and highlands moon images moon crescent moon valley moon mountain low tide high tide