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HomeTopics...Areas Of Aerospace InterestOur Moon
Our MoonAs the second brightest object in the sky, the moon has drawn mankind's curiosity for thousands of years. With persistent studying and technological advancements over the years, we have been able to observe and learn more about the moon than ever before.
Moon PhasesAs the moon moves through space, its relationship to the sun changes, making the moon look as though it is "changing." These phases or changes are actually the result of how the sun is illuminating the moon. The phases of the moon are:
Moon's AtmosphereThe moon does not have an atmosphere. Therefore, the moon does not have any weather. Because the moon does not have an atmosphere, temperatures range widely, varying from about 212ºF during the day to about -279ºF at night.
Moon MissionsAttempts to land on the moon started in the 1950s as part of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Soviet Union had the first "wins" when:
However, the United States probably won the overall propaganda war by having the first manned orbit around the moon on Apollo 8 in 1968. The United States followed this up with the first two landings (with crew) on the moon with Apollo 11 and Apollo 12, both in 1969.
Effect of the Moon on Our TidesAs it orbits the Earth, the moon has a major effect on the ocean's tides. The moon's gravity pulls at the oceans, creating two high tides and two low tides per day. About 12 hours and 25 minutes is the duration it takes to go from high tide back to high tide again.
The sun also has a part in creating tides. During new moons and full moons, the sun, the moon and the Earth are aligned. Adding the sun's gravity to the equation causes high tides to be even higher and low tides to be even lower. These high and low tides are called spring tides.
Neap tides occur during quarter moons. Because of the position of the sun and the moon in relation to the Earth, the gravitational pulls of the moon and the sun are weaker, resulting in neap tides. During neap tides, the differences between high tides and low tides are smaller.
A proxigean spring tide occurs about once every one-and-a-half years. Proxigean spring tides only occur during the new moon phase and when the moon is as close to the Earth as it can get. The reason that proxigean spring tides do not occur regularly is that the moon does not orbit the Earth in a perfect circle.
Resources
Arnett, Bill (2005). The Moon. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from the NinePlanets.org Web site: http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html.
Como Planetarium (1999). Moon Myths. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from the Curriculum.spps.org Web site: http://www.curriculum.spps.org/extended/PDFs/Gr5PDFs/ 510Myths.pdf. Cooley, Keith (2001). Moon Phases. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from the hiwaay.net Web site: http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moonphase/. Cooley, Keith (2001). Moon Tides. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from the hiwaay.net Web site: http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/. Hamilton, Rosanna L. (2005). The Moon. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from the SolarViews.com Web site: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/moon.htm. University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (n.d.). How do the Phases Get their Names? Retrieved January 22, 2008, from the UCAR Web site: http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/ uts/moon3.html&edu=high. Williams, Dr. David R. (2007). Lunar Exploration Time Table. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from the NASA.gov Web site: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/lunartimeline.html. |
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