Dont you just love the moon? It is something we see almost everyday, and every night. But how much do we actually know about the moon? Here are some quick facts.
"The moon is friend for the lonesome to talk to.”
― Carl Sandburg
During the 1950’s the USA considered detonating a nuclear bomb on the Moon:
The secret project was during the height cold war was known as “A Study of Lunar Research Flights” or “Project A119″ and meant as a show of strength at a time they were lagging behind in the space race.
The dark side of the moon is a myth:
In reality both sides of the Moon see the same amount of Sun however only one side of the Moon is ever seen from Earth this is because the Moon rotates around on its own axis in exactly the same time it takes to orbit the Earth, meaning the same side is always facing the Earth. The side we see is lit by reflected sunlight, while the side facing away from Earth lies in darkness and has only been seen by the human eye from a spacecraft.
The rise and fall of the tides on Earth is caused by the Moon:
There are two bulges in the Earth due to the gravitational pull that the Moon exerts; one on the side facing the Moon, and the other on the opposite side that faces away from the Moon, The bulges move around the oceans as the Earth rotates, causing high and low tides around the globe.
The Moon is drifting away from the Earth:
The Moon is moving approximately 3.8 cm away from our planet every year. It is estimated that it will continue to do so for around 50 billion years. By the time that happens, the Moon will be taking around 47 days to orbit the Earth instead of the current 27.3 days.
The Moon has only been walked on by 12 people;
The first man to set foot on the Moon in 1969 was Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 mission, while the last man to walk on the Moon in 1972 was Gene Cernan on the Apollo 17 mission. Since then the Moon has only be visited by unmanned vehicles.
The Moon has quakes:
These are caused by the gravitational pull of the Earth. Lunar astronauts used seismographs on their visits to the Moon, and found that small moonquakes occurred several kilometres beneath the surface, causing ruptures and cracks. Scientists think the Moon has a molten core, just like Earth.
"Moon Facts." Space-Facts. N.p., 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
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