The Moon

What is the Moon? A large rock that orbits a planet The Earth has 1 moon Moons orbit planets Planets orbit the sun

Moon Facts The moon is 240,000 miles from Planet Earth. The moon rotates counterclockwise. There are holes on the moon’s surface called craters. The moon gets its light from the reflection of the sun.

The Sun, Earth, & Moon

Animation of Earth, Moon, & Sun Animated Movement of the Moon, Earth, & Sun Animated Movement of the Moon, Earth, & Sun n_phases/ n_phases/

Why doesn’t the moon look the same? As the moon orbits around the earth, the light from the sun shines on it. From earth, we can only see certain portions of the lit moon. It takes 1 month, approx. 29 days, for the moon to completely orbit the Earth.

Animation of the Moon Phases Moon Phase Animation Throughout a month, the moon’s position changes & we can only see some parts of the illuminated moon.

The Moon Causes Tides Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon. There are two types of tides: High & Low High tide occurs twice a day.

The Moon and Tides Tides are created because the Earth and the moon are attracted to each other, just like magnets are attracted to each other. The moon tries to pull at anything on the Earth to bring it closer. But, the Earth is able to hold onto everything except the water. Since the water is always moving, the Earth cannot hold onto it, and the moon’s gravitational force is able to pull at it.

Tide Images High Tide Low Tide

Demo of how tides work

Diagram of the Moon Phases The sun is always shining on the moon. From earth we can only see certain parts of the moon that are lit by the sun.

Diagram of the Moon Phases The moon is lit by the sun. However, the lit side of the moon cannot be seen from Earth. The moon appears black during the NEW MOON PHASE. NEW MOON

Why is a new moon not seen? The reason we don't see any light on the moon during a new moon is because the far side of the moon is getting all the light, while the side we see is cast completely in shadow. When we have a full moon it's because the moon is facing us AND the sun, so we see its light reflected fully. The other phases are the stages in between.

Diagram of the Moon Phases The moon is lit by the sun. We can only see a small portion of the lit moon from Earth. It is called a WAXING CRESCENT. WAXING CRESCENT

Diagram of the Moon Phases The moon is lit by the sun. We can see half of the lit moon from Earth. It is called a WAXING HALF MOON or a FIRST QUARTER MOON. WAXING HALF MOON (1 ST QUARTER)

Diagram of the Moon Phases The moon is lit by the sun. We can see a lot of the lit moon from Earth. It is called a WAXING GIBBOUS. WAXING GIBBOUS

Diagram of the Moon Phases The moon is lit by the sun. We can see the entire lit moon from Earth. This is the FULL MOON phase. FULL MOON

Diagram of the Moon Phases The moon is lit by the sun. We can see a lot of the lit moon from Earth. This phase is called the WANING GIBBOUS. WANING GIBBOUS

Diagram of the Moon Phases The moon is lit by the sun. We can see half of the lit moon from Earth. This is known as the WANING HALF MOON or LAST QUARTER. WANING HALF MOON (LAST QUARTER)

Diagram of the Moon Phases The moon is lit by the sun. We can only see a small portion of the lit moon from Earth. This is called the WANING CRESCENT. WANING CRESCENT

The Phases Build Upon One Another:

Let’s look at the phases all together: What does WAXING mean? What does WANING mean? What is a CRESCENT? What is a GIBBOUS?

Karate Kid moon phases s_U s_U JQfYs (start at 2:58) JQfYs Another way to identify phases when you look up in the sky: Light on the R ight= R eturning (waxing) Light on the L eft= L eaving (waning)

Moon Phases rap atch?v=AQRNzepe4wI atch?v=AQRNzepe4wI

Eclipses How do eclipses occur? Revolution of the moon causes them Occur when earth or moon temporarily block the sunlight from reaching the other

Eclipses can occur only when the sun, moon and earth are perfectly lined up. When can eclipses occur?

Moon moves Between Sun and earth What is a Solar Eclipse?

What is a Lunar Eclipse? Earth moves between the moon and the sun

Lunar EclipseLunar Eclipse on March 3, 2007

Igneous rocks of the maria are thought to be 3-4 billion years old (youngest rocks found on moon surface). How was the moon formed?

Apollo missions led many scientists to support the impact theory - Moon was formed 4.6 billion years ago when a Mars-sized object collided with earth. Gas and debris was thrown into orbit then condensed into a single mass, forming the moon.

The Formation of the Moon Section 4 Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Another science law… Kepler’s 3 laws of motion are mathematical explanations of how planets and other bodies in the solar system move.