Throughout the history of our existence, we have been striving for distant stars since ancient times, but so far we have not been able to study even the objects closest to us. We don’t even know everything about the Moon today. But those facts that are gradually becoming known to us still do not cease to amaze us and make us learn more and more about our world, space and the universe. Have you ever wondered where the Earth's satellite came from? Why can't you see the other side? And did you know that the natural satellite looks more like a lemon than a sphere?

 

Facts proving that the Earth's satellite is cooler than science fiction writers can come up with.

 

We at Bemorepanda love science and we are sure that some facts about the Moon can surprise even the most sophisticated readers.

 

 

1. Every year, the Moon moves away from the Earth by about 3.8 cm. According to the calculations of astrophysicists, the satellite of our planet will be freed from gravitational influence in 15 billion years.

 

2. The surface temperature of the moon can reach the boiling point. During the lunar day, which lasts two weeks, the temperature at the equator can reach 120 °C. According to NASA, the lunar night also lasts about two weeks, during which the surface temperature can drop to -130°C to -170°C. In some places on the satellite near its poles, temperatures can drop to -25°C.

 

3. The moon actually has its own time zone, which is called Lunar Standard Time (LST). The lunar year consists of only 12 days. It may seem that this is some strange, short year, but it is not. The fact is that each lunar day consists of 29.5 Earth days, so the length of the year on the moon is approximately equivalent to the earth.

 

4. On the Moon, as well as on our planet, there are earthquakes. They are called moonquakes. Seismic fluctuations on the lunar surface are caused by the gravitational influence of the Earth and last only a few minutes.

 

5. There are many valuable resources on the Moon. For example, hydrogen, which can be used to propel rockets; water ice, which can be split into hydrogen and oxygen for fuel, and helium-3, a non-radioactive isotope of helium that could be used in the future to generate nuclear power.

 

6. Astrophysicists believe that the Moon is 4.5 billion years old.

 

 

7. Shadows appear darker on the Moon than on Earth. This is due to the fact that our satellite has a very thin atmosphere, so photons of light cannot be refracted and cast exactly the same shadows as on our planet, which creates their strong dark contrast.

 

8. The diameter of Australia is 600 km wider than the diameter of the Moon.

 

9. Scientists have a plausible hypothesis that the Moon appeared as a result of a giant asteroid the size of Mars falling to Earth, which occurred at the very beginning of the formation of the solar system, about 4.5 billion years ago.

 

10. A lunar eclipse saved Christopher Columbus from starvation. On February 29, 1504, Columbus used a lunar eclipse to frighten the local Arawak Indians on the island of Jamaica so that the Indian people would feed him and his crew members. The biographer Fernando, son of Columbus, told in his books that when the Arawaks saw the eclipse, they ran in hysterics and screams from all sides to the ships with supplies, begging the crew to save them from the wrath of God.

 

11. The moon has become something of a dump. After so many Nasa missions, there is a lot of waste and debris left on the Moon. Lunar rovers, probes, various scientific equipment, astronauts' waste products and even golf balls remained here.

 

Strange things remained on the surface of the satellite: a falcon feather, a piece of the Wright brothers' plane, a family photograph of astronaut Charles Duke, and a silicon disk of goodwill messages. By the way, the feather of a bird of prey was used by David Scott, who decided to test the theory of Galileo, who suggested that if there is no air resistance, heavy and light things fall at the same speed. Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott did just that. He threw a hammer and a feather on the moon from the same height and they touched the surface at the same time.

 

12. Birds use the Moon as a map to navigate and plot their flight path during their migration season.

 

 

13. Authors of gothic stories, poems and novels have been inspired by the mystique and creepiness of the full moon for centuries. So, the first mention of a werewolf on a full moon can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, written in 2100 BC. e. (XVIII-XVII centuries BC).

 

14. Many people still think that the 1969 moon landing was a movie. For example, one of the most common arguments of skeptics is that there are no stars visible in the background of pictures of astronauts from the Moon. Buzz Aldrin, the Apollo 11 lunar module pilot who visited the Earth satellite, slapped one such unbeliever in the face, who called the astronaut a liar.

 

15. In fact, the surface of the moon is dark. Although the satellite appears extraordinarily bright in the night sky, its reflectivity is only slightly higher than that of cracked old asphalt.

 

16. There is water on the moon. True, in the form of ice, which is both on the surface and under it. It's covered in dust and miner

 

16. There is water on the moon. True, in the form of ice, which is both on the surface and under it. It is covered with dust and minerals. Water appeared there, most likely due to comets.

 

17. Moon dust smells like gunpowder, and scientists do not know why (there are many versions).

 

 

18. Lunar craters can reveal cosmic history. Each crater separately can tell the story of the fall of various objects on the Earth's satellite. In addition, all the craters on the Moon can open the veil of mystery about the appearance of the satellite and even about the history of asteroid bombardments of the entire solar system.

 

19. Lunar research bases similar to Antarctic stations may soon appear on the satellite.

 

20. Earth and Moon have gravity, but not the same. The moon's gravity is weaker and in fact is only one-sixth that of the earth's. This means that you will weigh less when standing on the Moon than on Earth.

 

21. The dark side of the moon is a myth. In fact, both sides of the moon receive the same amount of sunlight. However, only one side of the satellite is always visible from Earth. This is because it rotates around its axis in exactly the same time as our planet. The other side, facing away from the Earth, can only be seen from spacecraft orbit.

 

22. Did you know that the moon shrinks over time? This, by the way, causes moonquakes. It turns out that the diameter of the satellite over the past few hundred million years has decreased by more than 50 meters. It is noteworthy that when it is compressed, "wrinkles" begin to form on the surface - "thrust faults", the earth's crust, which is moving towards each other.

 

 

23. The moon may seem like a perfect spherical sphere, but in fact it is more like a lemon.

 

24. The surface of the Moon is covered with extinct volcanoes, asteroid impact craters and frozen lava flows. And much of this can be seen with the naked eye, even novice astrologers.

 

25. Since the moon has a very thin atmosphere, a layer of dust on the surface - or a trace on it - can remain on the satellite for several centuries.

 

26. There are no seasons on the moon.

 

27. Many astronauts have reported symptoms of hay fever after exposure to lunar dust, most commonly sneezing, itchy throat, and eye pain.

 

28. In 1998, NASA carried out a controlled descent from orbit and the fall of the American automatic interplanetary station "Lunar Prospector" in a given area of ​​the moon's surface, breaking it. In addition to scientific equipment, the ashes of geologist and planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker were on board the device. This is the only person whose remains are scattered around the satellite.

 

29. The light created by the full moon is polarized in the Earth's atmosphere, and therefore dung beetles are better oriented during the full moon.

 

 

30. Without the Moon, the Earth would rotate much faster, as a result of which the wind speed would be 160 km / h, and the day would last only 8 hours.

 

31. Nearly 81% of mental health professionals believe that a full moon can cause mental illness in people.

 

32. In the 19th century, the Bavarian physician and astronomer Franz von Paula Gruythuisen claimed that he had seen cities and little green men on the Moon with his telescope and that the Earth's satellite was inhabited. And at first they even believed him, but over time it became clear to everyone that this was not so. Despite the loss of reputation, a crater on the Moon was named after him.

 

33. Some in ancient times considered the Moon a fiery bowl, while others believed that it was a celestial mirror reflecting the solid surface and seas of the Earth.

 

34. It seems that every night the moon changes its shape, but it is not. In fact, this effect occurs due to the fact that the satellite, revolving around the Earth, is differently illuminated by the Sun - this changes our perception of the Moon.

 

35. Only 12 people walked on the Moon. Twelve of the 24 people who have traveled from Earth to the Moon have walked on its surface. The first and most famous person to set foot on a moon was Neil Armstrong, who did so in 1969.

 

36. The first spacecraft to reach the Earth's satellite was the Soviet automatic interplanetary station Luna-1. This happened in 1959. The ship passed 5995 km from the surface of the moon before entering solar orbit.

 

37. More than 300,000 craters larger than 1 km in diameter have been discovered on the side of the Moon closest to us.

 

38. Stuart Allen Rusa, an American astronaut, took 500 tree seeds with him on a flight to lunar orbit in 1971. Subsequently, seedlings were grown from the seeds, which were planted in many US states and even in some foreign countries. By the way, such plants are called "Moon trees". Many are still growing.

 

 

39. The “dark side” of the Moon, invisible from Earth, was first photographed in 1959 by the Soviet Union from the Luna-3 space module.

 

40. By the way, the word "lunatic" comes from the fact that many believe that changes in mental state are directly related to the lunar cycles.

 

41. The ancient Sumerians were the first civilization to use the Moon for calendaring. Each month of this calendar had 29 or 30 days, depending on whether there was a full moon on the first day of the month.

 

42. The moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth. It flies around the Earth at a distance of about 385,000 kilometers.

 

43. As you know, the Sun and the Moon are not the same size. The Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, but also 400 times closer to the Earth.

 

44. During eclipses, the Moon, Earth and Sun are on the same straight line. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting our planet's shadow onto the moon's surface. A lunar eclipse can only occur on a full moon.

 

 

45. The Moon is a very dusty rocky ball with a diameter of 3476 km - about a quarter of the size of the Earth.

 

46. In the 1950s, the US considered detonating a nuclear bomb on the moon. The secret project at the height of the Cold War was known as the Lunar Exploration Flight Study, or Project A119, and meant a show of force. Apparently, this is how the Americans wanted to respond to the USSR, which at that time was ahead of the space race.

 

47. The largest crater discovered on the Moon is called the South Pole-Aitken Basin, its diameter is 2400-2500 km, and its depth is about 8 km.

 

48. Powerful telescopes on Earth can only see 59% of the moon's surface.

 

49. To date, NASA has collected about 2200 samples of rocks, dust, sand, pebbles, water and other geological materials from the surface of the Moon.

 

50. Great Barrier Reef corals spawn in October, November and December just after the full moon.

 

 

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