Lexie+and+Catherine's+Moon+Basics

=Welcome to Moon Basics!!!= By: Catherine and Lexie Orange Class

Properties of the Moon
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 * The moon's diameter is 3476 kilometers
 * The moon's density is about 3.3g/cm3
 * Has a layered structure:
 * The crust is about 60 km thick and is made of rocks.
 * Beneath the crust is the mantle.
 * The mantle extends to about 800 km.

The Moon's Front and Back
-front side of moon is nearly half highlands and half maria (basins filled with water) -back side of moon is all highlands and craters with few maria
 * Moon turns once on its axis in the same time it orbits once around the sun
 * Same side of moon is always facing earth
 * From earth we only see "front side" of the moon
 * Moon is egg-shaped: small end of egg points to earth.
 * Moon formed about 4.6 Billion years ago from collision.
 * Great showers of rocklike particles bombarded moons surface; meteoroids continue to bombard earth

Moon Facts

 * The moon formed after a mars sized body collided with Earth.
 * Moon has no atmosphere to protect form Sun's radiation.
 * Days and Nights are 14 times longer then the ones on Earth.
 * Gravity is one-sixth of Earth.
 * Orbital Period is around 27 days.
 * It takes two days longer for a moon to go through all it's phases (Lunar Month).
 * Only natural satellite of Earth.



The Moon's Surface Features
-consist of shattered rock and dust splashed out by the meteoroid impacts that formed the craters.
 * The lunar marias were thought to contain water until new technology discovered there wasn't any.
 * Marias which are smooth plains with huge circular basins.
 * Mare basalts - fine grained crystalline rocks
 * Rays (bright streaks) radiate from a number of craters
 * Lunar highlands appear brighter than the maria because their rocks are lighter in color and reflect more sunlight.
 * Moon has no atmosphere to slow flying particles and moon has a weak gravity.
 * Lunar craters: hollows on the moons surface.

This shows the craters, highlands, rays, marias, and rilles.

media type="youtube" key="vO1Yqd8Y2io" Shows the Moon orbiting the Earth.

We found all this information in our notes from class, textbook notes and tests/quizzes.