Fun Fact 1: What is a moon? A moon is defined as a natural satellite that orbits another planet; it is referred to as a natural satellite to distinguish the difference from an astronomical satellite such as a star orbiting a planet
Fun Fact 2: How big is the Moon? The Moon has a diameter of 3,476 km; it is about four times smaller than Earth
Fun Fact 3: There are at least 173 known natural satellites orbiting planets in the Solar System
Fun Fact 4: 'The moon' is earth's only natural satellite; it is about 384,000 km away from Earth. The moon orbits the Earth once every 28 days
Fun Fact 5: How far is the Moon away from the Sun? The precise distance from the Moon to the Sun varies depending on where each is in their orbit path; the average distance is about 150 million km
Fun Fact 6: The surface of the moon is covered with asteroid craters. Copernicus probably the most prominent asteroid crater on the moon; it has a diameter of 93 km. On a bright night the craters can be seen quite clearly
Fun Fact 7: The dark patches on the moon are flat areas of dark solid lava that look like seas, in fact, early astronomers called them 'mares' which is Latin for 'seas'
Fun Fact 8: Temperatures on the moons surface can range from a freezing -123°C to a boiling 123°C; this is because the moon has no atmosphere to protect it from the sun or to retain its heat
Fun Fact 9: What is an Eclipse? An Eclipse is when the moon moves between the Earth and the Sun. Most eclipses are partial; the sun is not totally covered. During a total eclipse the sun covers the moon and the sky will go dark during the day, this amazing spectacle lasts for just a few minutes
Fun Fact 10: The moon has a mountainous landscape. The tallest range is called the Montes Apenninus. Named after the Italian Apennine Mountains it is situated on the northern region; the range measures around 600 km long
Fun Fact 11: In 1969 US Space Apollo 11 landed on the moon; Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to set a foot on the moon on July 21. They spent about 2.5 hours on the moons surface and recorded the famous words "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"
Fun Fact 12: The first African-American woman in space was Dr. Mae Jemison, she assisted the space mission onboard Spacelab-J in September 1992
Fun Fact 13: The shape of the moon appears to change in the night sky due to the different phases of the moon. There are 8 different phases; each phases is a different shape depending on how the sunlight catches it during the 28 day cycle
Fun Fact 14: The mythological character the "The Man in the Moon" dates back to the early 14th century. Traditionally he carries a bundle of thorn-twigs and is accompanied by a dog
Fun Fact 15: There is an American Flag on the moon! Neil Armstrong planted it there during the first moon landing. As there is no air or breeze on the moon it was attached to horizontal pole this gave the impression that it was flying! |
