Everybody has seen the moon. The moon is the most accessible object in the night sky, and it is a fascinating location to look around. What is the moon then? Similar to how Earth and other planets orbit the sun, the moon also revolves around a planet named Earth. The moon is one of the celestial bodies that orbit Earth; these are known as satellites. Moons orbit a large number of solar system planets, including Earth, and some have as many as dozens. Of course, they have distinct names, much like the moon.
The moon is covered in both large and small craters, which are the result of space rock fragments colliding with the lunar surface. If you open the moon closely, you can see these craters, especially when the front of the moon is shining. If you use a little imagination, you may find a face-like crater. the well-known crater referred to as "The Man in the Moon."
Regarding how the moon came to orbit the Earth, there are numerous schools of thought. Some claim the moon was formed at the same time as the Earth, while others believe it is just a big rock that orbits the planet and is drawn to it by its strength. Some claim that a fragment of a planet struck Earth and became the moon.
Beyond being merely a lovely circle in the night sky, the moon is more. Although the moon is 384,400 kilometers away from Earth, its presence has a big effect on the environment. Like other objects, the moon has gravity, which pulls all objects within its range. As the ocean water on Earth is gravitationally pulled on the moon, it also creates ocean water movements, or tides. It also slows down the rotation of the Earth due to the moon's gravitational pull.
Scientists estimate that the Earth would have rotated every eight hours if the moon hadn't pulled it and slowed it down. If the Earth had rotated so fast, the wind and ocean tides would have been much stronger, and the Earth would have become a very difficult place to live.
Sometimes the moon is not positioned between the Earth and the Sun, and sometimes the Earth is in perfect alignment between the moon and the Sun. On nights when this happens, you can see the Earth's shadow moving on the moon. This is called an eclipse. It's not as spectacular as the eclipse we learned earlier, but it is certain that the eclipse is also a wonderful and special sight.
You don't need special tools to watch an eclipse. If you know when it will happen, you can just go outside and watch Earth's shadow pass by the moon!
Information about the moon
Diameter: 2,476 km
Time it takes to go around the globe once: 29 1/2 days
Distance from Earth to Moon: 384,400km
Surface temperature: -120C to 170C