Our Moon

What is the moon? A natural satellite – Satellite = an object in orbit 1 of more than 166 moons in our solar system The only moon orbiting planet Earth Planet# of Moons Mercury0 Venus0 Earth1 Mars2 Jupiter63 Saturn60 Uranus27 Neptune13 Pluto1

Moons Statistics About 384,400 km away 5 th Biggest Moon in our Solar System Earth is 4 times larger than the moon

How was our moon created? 4-5 Billion Years Ago Planet Thea (1/2 the size of Earth) hits Earth and huge pieces of rock break off and go into space Space debris continue to collide and fuse to create larger rocks Pieces cool Moon is formed

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Exploring the Moon 1950s-1960s= sent probes Neil Armstrong=first man on the moon 6 Apollo missions 12 Americans have walked on the moon Still researching

The Moon’s Surface No atmosphere – No weather Extreme Temperatures – Daytime=265 o F – Nighttime= -310 o F 1/6 th of the Earth’s gravity

Movement of the Moon Revolution – Moon orbits the earth every 27 1/3 days Rotation – Moon turns on its axis every 27 days Since it revolves and rotates at the same rate we always see the same size

Moon Phases Moonlight is reflected sunlight ½ the moon’s surface is always reflecting light The ½ facing the sun

Moon Phase Vocabulary New Moon – None of the moon is lit Quarter Moon – ½ the visible side of the moon is lit – ¼ lit total Full Moon – Entire moon is lit

Moon Phase Vocabulary - Continued Crescent – Looks like a crescent roll – Less than ½ the visible side of the moon is lit Gibbous – More than ½ the visible side of the moon is lit

Moon Phase Vocabulary - Continued Waxing – Right side of the Moon is Lit Waning – Left side of the Moon is Lit Remember – Wax on…. Wane Off Waxing – Moon is gaining light Waning – Moon is losing light

Moon Vocabulary The terms are used together to be more descriptive Waxing Crescent – Right side is lit; Less than ½ is lit Waxing Gibbous – Right side is lit; More than ½ is lit Waning Gibbous – Left side is lit; More than ½ is lit Waning Crescent – Left side is lit; Less than ½ is lit

Moon Phases in Order New Moon Waxing Crescent 1 st Quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Moon Waning Gibbous 3 rd Quarter Waning Crescent New Moon

Lunar Eclipses The moon moves into the Earth’s shadow – The shadow darkens the moon 2 per year Lasts up to 4 hours

Solar Eclipses The moon moves between the sun The moon casts a shadow on part of the Earth Rare=once every 360 years for 1 location