Earth’s Moon Chapter 1 – Section 4

Essential Questions What features of the moon can be seen with a telescope? How did the Apollo landings help scientists learn about the moon?

The Structure & Origin of the Moon

The moon is ______ kilometers in diameter, a little less than the distance across the ______ ______. 3,476 United States

The moon only contains ____ - _______ as much mass as Earth. One – eightieth

The theory that best fits how the moon was formed is known as the _______ theory. collision

The Collision Theory

Looking at the Moon From Earth

In 1609, the Italian astronomer ______ ______ made a telescope by putting two lenses in a wooden tube. Galileo Galilei

Telescope A device built to study distant objects by making them appear closer

Crater A round pit on the moon’s surface

What caused craters to form on the moon’s surface? For about 300 years, scientists believed that the craters were formed by volcanoes, like the ones on Earth 50 years ago, scientists concluded that the craters on the moon were caused by the impacts of meteoroids, rocks from space The space missions to the moon have confirmed this conclusion

Checkpoint: What are maria? Maria are large flat plains on the moon’s surface These areas are low and flat that were flooded with molten material billions of years ago Maria Highlands

What features of the moon can be seen with a telescope? Craters Highlands Maria

Missions to the Moon

For what reason did the unmanned spacecraft Surveyor land on the moon? The Surveyor’s mission to the surface of the moon was to study the surface to see if spacecraft would sink into the moon’s surface, or land on solid ground

On July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 astronauts ______ ______ & ______ ______ launched a lunar module called ______, leaving Mike Collins in orbit in the Command Module. Neil Armstrong Buzz Aldrin Eagle

Figure 21 Inferring Why was it important for the lunar module to land on a flat spot on the moon? Landing on a flat spot allowed the astronauts and the landing gear outside the craft to land safely

What are almost all of the moon rocks made of? Almost all of the rocks on the moon were formed from the cooling of molten material, which proves that the moon’s surface must have been extremely hot Some rocks showed that they have been broken apart by impacts and then reformed This supports that the moon’s surface has been bombarded by meteoroids

Checkpoint: What did scientists discover about the interior of the moon as a result of the moon landings? Scientists discovered that the interior of the moon has cooled almost completely since it was formed.

Figure 23 Observing What are the round features in this photograph called? The round features are craters The far side of the moon’s rough terrain appears to be caused by impact craters

How did the Apollo landings help scientists learn about the moon? Scientists collected moon rocks made of molten material Scientists studied the moon’s interior and discovered that the moon has weak quakes and that the moon’s interior has almost completely cooled Since the moon’s interior has almost completely cooled, craters were caused by impacts, not volcanic activity