DAVID SHAMAHS & MICHEAL BAKER THE MOON DAVID SHAMAHS & MICHEAL BAKER

MARIA (mah ree uh) Dark ,flat areas of harden rock from huge lava flows Lava flows occurred 3-4 billion years ago The singular form of maria is mare

Craters Large round pits can be hundreds of kilometers across Craters were caused by impacts from merorids Chunks of rock or dust from space Maria have relatively few craters this means the craters were formed on the moon’s early history

High lands Some of the light –colored features you can see on the moon surface The peak of the lunar highlands and the rims of the craters cast a dark shadows The highlands cover most of the moon’s surface

Size & density The moon is 3,476 kilometers across The moon’s density is only one eightienth as much as the earth surfaces The moon’s gravity is about one sixth of earth

Temperature At the moon’s equator temperature range from torrid 130C in direct sunlight to a frigid -170C at night The poles are even colder The temperature may vary so much because the moon does not have an atmosshpere

Water For years people thought the moons had no water In 2009 scientist using data from several probes they found a thin layer of water in the moon’s soil The total amount of water is very small

Origins of the moon Scientists have suggested many possible theories of the moon’s formation The theory most fitting the evidence is called the collision ring theory About 4.5 billion years ago when earth was young the solar system was full of rocky debris scientists theorized that an object collided with earth materials from the object and earth outer layer was eject to earth orbit

Gravity caused this materials to clump up and form the moon