How big is the moon?
The moon is about 2,000 miles across.
How far is it from Earth to the moon?
It is about 250,000 miles from Earth to the moon.
How old is the moon?
The moon is the same age as the Earth and the rest of the solar system — about 4.5 billion years. Our solar system was all formed at that time.
How did the moon form?
We think that the moon and Earth formed at about the same time, back when our whole solar system was formed. Earth was forming from many chunks of rock and icy material. Possibly a big chunk hit the new Earth and knocked loose a big piece, which became the moon.
How hot and cold does it get on the moon?
As you may have learned, the moon doesn't have any air around it. The air that surrounds our earth acts as a nice blanket to keep us warm and comfy! But the moon, since it doesn't have this blanket, gets much colder than the earth — and much hotter than the earth. On the side of the moon that the sun is shining on, the temperature reaches 260°Fahrenheit! That is hotter than boiling. On the dark side of the moon, it gets very cold, -280° Fahrenheit.What is the surface of the moon like?
The surface of the moon has about two inches of dust. Much of this dust has fallen to the moon from the spaces between the planets over the last several billions years. It probably feels pretty soft. You can see this in some pictures taken by the astronauts of their footprints on the moon.
How many holes are in the moon?
We call those holes "craters." They are the places where many years ago meteors hit the surface of the moon and put dents into it. There are thousands of big craters, but even more little ones. There are probably millions of little craters on the moon! Some are only an inch or so across.
Why does the moon have big rocks?
The moon is made up of various kinds of rocks. These rocks are fairly similar to the rocks on earth. But on earth, we have wind and rain that help wear the rocks down into sand and dirt. There is no air or wind on the moon, so the rocks don't get worn down as they do on the earth.
How many moons are there all together?
Earth has only one moon. If you count all the moons around all the planets in our solar system, there are 61 (Earth has one, Mars has two, Jupiter has 16, Saturn has 18, Uranus has 15, Neptune has 8, and Pluto has one). There may be more that we haven't discovered yet!Why does the moon change its shape (as in full, half, and quarter moon)?
The bright part of the moon is the part that the sun is shining on. This is like daytime on earth. The dark part is in shadow, like night on earth. Now the moon goes around the earth once every 29 days (approximately).
At new moon, the moon and the sun are on the same side of Earth. We see the part of the moon that is in shadow, so the moon is dark. Then the moon moves around in its orbit. At first quarter, it has gone one-fourth of the way around Earth. Now we can see part of the moon that is sunlit, but part still in shadow. Note that if the sun is setting in the west, the bright part of the moon is on the side toward the sun and the dark part is away.
About a week later, the moon has moved halfway around its orbit. Now it is on the opposite side of Earth, away from the sun. Now we see only the sunlit side — that is the full moon. Note that if the sun is setting in the west, the moon is just rising in the east.
About the Creator
Revolutionary Climate Action
In the retrospect of my childhood, the memories of the visits to the farm with my parents are a mixture of useful advice and interesting traditions. From my grandpa's idea of planting sweet potatoes underneath rocks to my grandmother's statement that we should plant fruit according to the moon cycles, to my dad's funny invention to control the wind during the rice or cocoa sifting, all these practices were both the usual and the interesting to me. Gradually, I began to think about these habits, it made me to think where they came from and how useful they are. My family usually avoided the cultural traditions which they considered as those which they called the eccentricity of my grandparents. However, my professional career was the climate crisis, where I now, as a consultant, help farmers to set up the resilient agroforests. The road that I have traveled has pushed me to start the Cacua Project, a project that is centered on the creation of the agroforests that are resilient and the collaboration between the farmers to the ecosystems management. Hence, I have combined the old knowledge with the modern research, which has a concrete aspect that deals with the climate change. I have gradually come to the conclusion that the old stories and practices handed down from generation to generation are the most beneficial. The partnering with the farmers, we conducted the experiments that verified some of the traditional methods. In addition, the rocks placed under the crops facilitated the drainage and at the same time it drew the good organisms. The method of planting by moon cycles turned out to be successful in the organization of irrigation and pollination by being in sync with the natural insect activity and the water cycles. Even the wind-whistling technique appeared to influence the air, therefore it was beneficial in the agricultural work. The jewels of wisdom which were taught by the ancestors to us are the ones that gave us the necessary tips for the better way of landscape protection. Ever since I was a young environmentalist, I have been committed to several life choices that elude what I consider good for the planet.
By Wes Wesley2 days ago in Earth
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