The Moon Rotation, Phases, Tides

The Moon The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth The Moon is non – luminous The diameter of the Moon is ¼ that of the Earth The Moon has no atmosphere, no water and no life It’s surface is full of craters due to bombardments of meteorites

Did you know? Some craters are hundreds of kilometers across with solidified lava forming flat plains which can be seen as dark patches on the Moon’s surface Mountains, some taller than Mount Everest surround these plains

The Moon’s Surface

The Movement of the Moon The Moon rotates on its axis and revolves around the Earth It takes 28 days to make one revolution around the Earth. This is called a lunar month Although the Moon is round it appears to change its shape or go through different phases as it revolves around the Earth.

Half of the Moon faces the Sun and is lit up by it The other half of the Moon faces away from the Sun and is dark. As the Moon revolves around the Earth only the part of the Moon that is both lit up by the Sun and facing the Earth can be observed on Earth That means we only see one side of the Moon. The side that we cannot see is referred to as the “Dark side”

Phases of the moon

Why does the Moon Change Shape?

What Causes the Different Phases of the Moon? The phases of the Moon depend on its position in relation to the Sun and Earth. As the Moon makes its way around the Earth, we see the bright parts of the Moon's surface at different angles. These are called "phases" of the Moon.

What are the Different Phases of the Moon? The phases of the moon work in a cycle starting with the new moon There are 8 phases of the Moon New moon Waxing crescent First quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Waning Gibbous Last Quarter / Third quarter Waning Crescent

Meaning of the Phases When the bright part is getting bigger, the Moon is waxing. When it is getting smaller, the Moon is waning. When the Moon is more than half-lit, it is called a gibbous Moon. When the moon is less than half-lit, it is called a crescent Moon.

Forces in Space, High and Low Tide Tides

Forces In Space Forces of attraction exist between bodies Planets are held in their orbit by gravity The Moon is also held in orbit by gravity The Moon’s gravity is 1/6 that of the Earth’s

What is a tide? Tide – is used to define the alternating rise and fall in sea level with respect to the land. Each day there are 2 high tides and 2 low tides

High & Low Tide

How are tides formed? Gravitational attraction between the Earth and Moon (and to a small extent the Sun) is responsible for the change in tides High tide and low tide occur as a result of the changing distance between the Earth and Moon

Tide Formation The gravitational attraction of the Moon causes the oceans to bulge out in the direction of the Moon. Another bulge occurs on the other side since the Earth is being pulled to the Moon and away from the water

Spring Tide When the Moon is full or new, the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun are combined. At this time the high tides are very high and low tides are very low – these are known as spring tides Spring tides occur when the Sun, the Moon and Earth are in a line

Neap Tide During the moon quarter phases the Sun and Moon are at right angles This causes the bulges to cancel each other which results in a smaller difference between high and low tide These are known as neap tides and are especially weak tides

Spring & Neap Tides

Tides