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

Mercury 0

Venus 0

Earth 1

Mars 2

Jupiter 63

Saturn 60

Uranus 27

Neptune 13

Pluto 1

Moons Statistics

• About 384,400 km away

• 5th 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

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDoV9brRdsc

• 1:40 to End

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 oF– Nighttime= -310 oF

• 1/6th 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• 1st Quarter• Waxing Gibbous• Full Moon• Waning Gibbous• 3rd 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