Part Six: Find Out Some Amazing Facts About Our Marvellous Moon
This blog post follows on from the Outdoor Explorers III post, which was all about the moon.
Let’s see if we can answer some of the questions raised in this post.
People have been fascinated by the moon for centuries. It’s the brightest object in the night sky, and its appearance changes every night as it waxes and wanes and moves across the sky. Evidence based on cave paintings and stone carvings has shown that early humans used the sun as a clock as early as 30,000 years ago.
So, What is the Moon Made of?
You might have read that the moon is made of cheese, but sadly, it’s not. Scientists aren’t sure what the moon is made of – but they do know that the moon has layers, like the Earth does. In the middle, like the core of an apple, is the lunar core. The lunar core is made of iron, nickel and sulphur. The core of the moon is probably molten (this means that it’s melted, like molten lava flows from a volcano), just like the Earth’s core.
Outside the core is the mantle, which scientists think is made of the minerals olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. The outside layer of the moon is called the crust. It’s easiest for scientists to find out about the moon’s crust because it’s right there under their feet, easy to access. It comprises oxygen, silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium and aluminium.
Why is the Moon There? How Was it Formed?
Scientists have suggested lots of theories for how the moon came to be, but today they believe in something called the giant-impact theory: about 4.5 billion years ago, the Earth collided with a planet which was about the size of Mars. This caused a huge explosion of rocky debris, and this debris all eventually floated together in one huge lump, thanks to the Earth’s gravitational pull, to form the moon.
Why Do We Only See One Side of the Moon?
This is because the moon is locked to the Earth by gravity and the tides. The moon rotates on its axis, just like the Earth does, and the moon makes one full rotation in the time it takes to go round (orbit) the Earth. That means the same side is always turned towards us.
Wait a minute – how is the moon affected by the tides? This is a tricky topic to get your head around! Even though it’s really far away, the moon’s gravity pulls the Earth’s oceans towards it, so on the side of the Earth that’s facing the moon, it’s always high tide. You may want to read this article to find out more about the moon and the tides.
Some Fun Lunar Facts
- The moon is about one-quarter the size of the Earth – it’s as wide as Australia!
- Although there are over 200 moons in our solar system, the moon is the Earth’s only satellite.
- The moon is moving away from the Earth. But don’t worry – it’s only moving about 3.8 cm away every year. It’s not going to disappear any time soon.
- Just as the Earth has earthquakes, the moon has moonquakes. These are caused by the Earth’s gravity. But unlike quakes on Earth, which are usually over in a few minutes, moonquakes can last up to half an hour.
Are There Seas on the Moon?
When you look at the moon, you may spot some dark patches on it that look like seas. However, these are not made of water, but of lava. The moon’s surface is covered with extinct volcanoes, craters (where the moon has been hit by meteorites and asteroids) and lava flows.
Even though these lava flows are not real seas, they have been called seas. Two are called the Sea of Tranquillity and the Sea of Serenity. Did you know that the Sea of Tranquillity was where astronaut Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon?
Have Humans Been to the Moon?
I bet that now you know so much about the moon, you’ll want to visit it – but will we ever be able to catch a space shuttle to the moon, like we catch a train or bus to our nearest town or city? Well, the moon is about 238,000 miles from Earth. If you travelled to the moon in a space shuttle, it would take you three days to get there. Sadly, you probably won’t get a chance to visit – but some lucky humans have been to the moon. On 20 July 1969, spacecraft Apollo 11, with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on board, landed on the moon – with only 30 seconds of fuel left. That was close! How do you think those first astronauts felt, whizzing towards the moon in their spacecraft? Around the world, about 650 million people watched the moon landing on TV. Wow!
If you’re interested in science and astronomy, there are lots of websites you can look at to find out more. Even if you can’t go to the moon yourself, you can still go on a journey of discovery to find out more about it!