Our moon is very important to life on life on earth
without the moon. our day wold be 6hours long, because the earth would spin 3 to 5 times faster, this would cause winds up to 500km/hr, and all birds and insects would die, the night would be much darker and making the stars even brighter , the Earth axis tilt would be unstable(wobble or change more), which could lead to zero seasons or very extreme climate, the situation on earth would be catastrophic to us
Easy facts
The Moon’s distance from Earth is about 240,000 miles (385,000km)
only 24 people have visited the Moon, but only 12 have walked on the Moon
However over 100+ robots have been to the moon and most are still their, some still working today
The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite and the fifth largest moon in the solar system.
The Moon has a very thin atmosphere called an exosphere
The Moon’s surface is cratered and pitted from comet and asteroid impacts.
NASA currently has three robotic spacecraft exploring the Moon – Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the twin ARTEMIS spacecraft (not to be confused with NASA’s new Artemis program to send astronauts back to the Moon).
Exploration
The Moon was the first place beyond Earth humans tried to reach as the Space Age began in the late 1950s. More than 100 robotic explorers from more than half a dozen nations have since sent spacecraft to the Moon. Nine crewed missions have flown to the Moon and back.
The former Soviet Union logged the first successes with its Luna program, starting with Luna 1 in 1959. NASA followed with a series of robotic Ranger and Surveyor spacecraft that performed increasingly complex tasks that made it possible for the first human beings to walk on the Moon in 1969.
Twenty-four humans have traveled from the Earth to the Moon. Twelve walked on its surface. The last human visited the lunar surface in 1972.
Now NASA is gearing up to set up a permanent lunar presence on the Moon. The Artemis program will send the first woman and the next man to the Moon and develop a sustainable human presence on the Moon and set the stage for further human exploration at Mars.
The program takes its name from the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
From NASA
What Are Lunar Phases?
Our Moon doesn’t shine, it reflects. Just like daytime here on Earth, sunlight illuminates the Moon.
We just can’t always see it.
When sunlight hits off the Moon’s far side — the side we can’t see without from Earth the aid of a spacecraft — it is called a new Moon.
When sunlight reflects off the near side, we call it a full Moon.
The rest of the month we see parts of the daytime side of the Moon, or phases. These eight phases are, in order, new Moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full Moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent. The cycle repeats once a month (every 29.5 days).
What is a Lunar Eclipse?
During a lunar eclipse, Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the sunlight falling on the Moon.
There are two kinds of lunar eclipses:
- A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon and Sun are on opposite sides of Earth.
- A partial lunar eclipse happens when only part of Earth’s shadow covers the Moon.
During some stages of a lunar eclipse, the Moon can appear reddish. This is because the only remaining sunlight reaching the Moon at that point is from around the edges of the Earth, as seen from the Moon’s surface. From there, an observer during an eclipse would see all Earth’s sunrises and sunsets at once.
Understanding Lunar Eclipses
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, just as a solar eclipse occurs when part of the Earth passes through the Moon’s shadow.
So why don’t eclipses happen twice a month?
The reason is that the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is tilted relative to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
But if that’s the case, why do eclipses happen at all?
Throughout the year, the Moon’s orbital tilt remains fixed with respect to the stars, meaning that it changes with respect to the Sun. About twice a year, this puts the Moon in just the right position to pass through the Earth’s shadow, causing a lunar eclipse.
As the Moon passes into the central part of the Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, it darkens dramatically. Once it’s entirely within the umbra, the Moon appears a dim red due to sunlight scattered through the Earth’s atmosphere.
In fact, if you watched the eclipse from the surface of the Moon, you’d see the Sun set behind the entire Earth, bathing you in a warm red glow. Back home, you’ll have to stay up late to watch a lunar eclipse, but if you do you’ll see the Moon in rare form, and you’ll catch a brief glimpse of our own planet’s long shadow.
Photograph the Moon
Capturing the Moon with a camera is one of the most satisfying—and challenging—projects available to an outdoor photographer. Here are 10 suggestions for making the most of a moonlit night with your camera.
How do Lunar Eclipses Affect Spacecraft?
Lunar eclipses can be a science boon and engineering challenge for orbiting spacecraft, such as NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The solar-powered orbiter also falls in Earth’s shadow, cutting it off from the source of its power. Mission controllers shut down most instruments to conserve energy.
The team leaves on one instrument—called Diviner—that can watch how the lunar surface responds to the rapid change in temperature caused by a lunar eclipse. The data helps scientists better understand the composition and properties of the surface.
solar eclipses
The distance from the sun to the Earth is about 400 times the earth to the Moon’s distance,
the Sun’s diameter is about 400 times the Moon’s diameter.
Because these ratios are approximately the same, the Sun and the Moon as seen from Earth appear to be approximately the same size in our sky with about 0.5 degree of arc in angular measure.