What is it?

The accepted theory of the moon’s formation is that a mars-sized planet collided with Earth and the debris from the Earth, over time, chunked together to form the moon. It has been in orbit of Earth ever since.

It is roughly 4.5 billion years old.

Geology and Geography

The moon is made up of Mountains, craters and flatlands. Its structure is similar to the Earth’s layers.

Most of the surface area of the moon is volcanic ash that has covered the satellite.

Meteor impacts have cratered the surface.

Regolith, basalt and other volcanic materials cover the surface.

Dormant volcanoes also dot the landscape.

Our lunar satellite…

The moon is in a synchronous rotational orbit around the Earth. This means that it spins at the same rate that it orbits. This is why we always see the same face of the moon.

27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes rotation and orbit.

The gravity isn’t near that of what is on earth. A person weighing 220 lbs on Earth would seem to weigh 36 lbs on the moon.

This is the size comparison:

What does it do?

The moon does a few things for us here on earth. It rotates with the earth.

It helps control the motion of the ocean.

The gravity of the moon pulls on every particle of the Earth, but especially the water.

It causes tides. It’s gravity along with the pull of the sun cause the oceans to slosh back and forth.

Phases

Because our moon orbits on a specific pattern, it has phases.

Phases are determined by how the moon is illuminated by the sun on the other side of the earth.

Full, crescent, half, gibbous and new moons are all phases. The moon experiences phases during it’s cycle.

Phases

Why does it have phases

The moon experiences several phases during it’s cycle.

Full, crescent, half, gibbous and new moons are all phases.

These phases happen when the sun illuminates a certain part of the moon. The earth is in the way sometimes which causes the shadow to be cast.

A solar eclipse is when the moon passes in front of the sun at the same level as the Earth. What actually occurs is an occultation rather than an eclipse.

A lunar eclipse is when the moon is in Earth’s shadow. All of the sunlight is directed onto the Earth’s surface and the moon is in complete darkness.

Solar eclipse A solar eclipse is

when the moon passes in front of the sun at the same level as the Earth. What actually occurs is an occultation rather than an eclipse. Some may be partial and some may be full

Lunar eclipse

A lunar eclipse is when the moon is in Earth’s shadow. All of the sunlight is directed onto the Earth’s surface and the moon is in complete darkness.

Which is Which?

Quick Write

Imagine that we have no moon. What would be different here on Earth? Would our lives be altered in any way? If so, how? How might we adapt to this new way of life? How might the other living things on Earth be affected?

Minimum of 2 paragraphs # 70 in your notebook