The moon is more than a bright, beautiful orb in the night sky. Our nearest neighbor also plays a big part in making the Earth a good place to live. Located an average of only 384,400 kilometers (238,855 miles) away, it’s got enough gravity to help stabilize the Earth on its axis. That makes our planet’s climate more stable than it would be otherwise. The moon’s gravity also pulls the oceans back and forth, producing tides. As the moon orbits the Earth, it passes through different phases. They are the result of sunlight reflecting off the moon, and where the moon is in relation to the Earth. During a full moon, we see one entire half of the moon lit by the sun because the Earth is between the moon and the sun. During the new moon, none of the moon is visible, and the sky is exceptionally dark. That’s because the moon is between the Earth and the sun, and only the dark side of the moon faces our planet. See all the entries from our Let’s Learn About series The moon cycles through all its phases once every 27 days. This is also the amount of time it takes to go around the Earth. As a result, the same side of the moon always faces the Earth. The far side of the moon was a mystery until people developed spacecraft. Now that far side is a bit less of an unknown. China has even landed a spacecraft on this far side of the moon, to learn more about it. The moon’s light and its effect on the tides are important to animals here on Earth. Some animals time their breeding with the tides. Others change their feeding to stay safe from lions when the moon is dark. And deep in the Arctic night, the moon can provide some illusive illumination for living things.
Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:
The moon has power over animals: The moon is known for its tidal effects. But its light also can exert a powerful influence on large and small. (11/7/2019) Readability: 8.0
There’s water on sunny parts of the moon, scientists confirm: The new observations were made by a telescope on board a jet in Earth’s atmosphere. They confirm the presence of water on sunlit areas of the moon. (11/24/2020) Readability: 7.8
Welcome to moon rock central: A Science News reporter’s visit to NASA’s moon-rock lab shows the hyper-pristine conditions in which these rocks are kept — and why that’s so important. (9/5/2019) Readability: 7.3
This is a moon that orbits a planet found outside our solar system. Planets that orbit stars other than our sun, such as Alpha Centauri, are known as exoplanets. If those exoplanets have moons that orbit them? Those are exomoons. Scientists have not yet confirmed that exomoons exist. But they’ve got some evidence from powerful space telescopes such as Hubble and Kepler. These telescopes have spotted dips in light in front of stars. That dimming is what happens when an exoplanet passes in front of the star. But sometimes, that dip is followed by a second dimming. That could be the exoplanet’s exomoon, trailing along behind.
You must be logged in to post a comment.