The Moon (Luna)
Every human knows of the Moon. That lovely disc in the night sky, with its dark patches forming figures like a man's face and a rabbit. Everyone has reasons to love the Moon. Without it, life may have evolved differently, and we humans may not walk on Earth.
Moon Stats
Average Distance from Earth: 384 400 km
Mass: 0.0123 times Earth Equatorial Diameter: 3476.2 km Polar Diameter: 3472 km Volume: 0.0203 times Earth Gravity: 0.165 times Earth (1.62 N/kg) Temperature: 123 C to -249 C Rotation: 655.728 hours Revolution: 27.322 Earth days/1 Lunar rotation Namesake: Luna was the Roman goddess of the Moon. Her Greek form is Selene. |
Moon Facts
- THE MOON IS TIDALLY LOCKED TO EARTH. You probably noticed the fact that one Moon rotation is equivalent to one Moon revolution. This means that one side of the Moon always faces the Earth, while another faces away. The far side of the Moon is often thought to be always dark, but this simply isn't true. Think about it.
- THE MOON'S CRUST IS THICKER ON THE FAR SIDE. Astronomers believe that the Earth used to have two moons. At this time, both moons were still somewhat molten, as they just formed from the debris of the Theia-Earth collision. The smaller moon went into a slow collision with the larger moon, merging with it on one side. This is why the far side of the Moon has a thicker crust.
- THE MOON'S DARK PATCHES ARE FROM COLLISIONS. These patches, called "maria," are flatter and lower than the lighter patches. Around 4 billion years ago, large asteroids collided with the Moon, and were so large that they caused parts of the Moon's crust to break, allowing molten rock to pool. This cooled into the maria of the Moon today.
- THE MOON IS DRIFTING AWAY FROM EARTH, at 3.8 cm a year. Don't worry, it'll take too long for it to leave our planet!