THE MOON is the closest celestial body to Earth, it is also one of the most mysterious – here’s what we do know about it.
Man first visited the Moon on July 21, 1969, with American astronaut Neil Armstrong becoming the first person to walk on its surface.
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Since that famous mission, dubbed Project Apollo, man has not returned to our rocky neighbor.
Instead, we’ve sent spacecraft to distant worlds hoping to learn more about deep space and the origins of our universe.
Still, scientists continue to ponder about the Moon – also known as Earth’s ‘natural satellite’ – and thanks to advances in astronomy and technology, we have uncovered a lot more about it.
The Moon is spiraling away from us
One of the biggest things we’ve learned about the Moon is that it’s slowly moving away from Earth every year.
English astronomer Edmond Halley first theorized that the Moon was pulling away from Earth nearly 300 years ago, after observing records of ancient eclipses.
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His theory was confirmed in the 1970s when data from American and Soviet missions showed that it is moving away at a rate of about 3.8cm per year.
This is happening because of the interaction between the Moon’s gravity with Earth’s oceans – the Moon exerts a gravitational force on the Earth which causes the movement of the Earth’s oceans to form a tidal bulge.
Because Earth rotates, this tidal bulge is always orbiting just a little bit ahead of the Moon, causing some energy “to get transferred to the tidal bulge via friction,” the National Radio Astronomy Observatory explains on its website.
This friction then transfers some energy into the Moon’s orbit, resulting in the Moon being pushed further away from the Earth.
The Moon is home to very cold temperatures
Scientists discovered that the coldest temperatures in our entire solar system have been recorded at the Moon’s poles, in “polar crater,” as they are called.
These craters are incredibly cold because they have been darkened by permanent shadows that receive absolutely zero sunlight due to their position on the Moon.
“it’s unimaginably cold, massively cratered, and has areas that are either constantly bathed in sunlight or in darkness,” Nasa said of the Moon on their website.
Some of the polar craters even harbor hidden ice water, although, it’s not clear just how much.
The Moon keeps Earth from wobbling
One of the most important things the Moon does for Earth is stabilize its rotation.
When the Earth rotates, it slightly teeters back and forth on its axis, however, thanks to the Moon’s gravitational pull, our planet stays relatively balanced.
“The relevant link between spin and orbit is very complicated, but in a simplified version you could think of it as being like an Olympic athlete in the hammer throw event,” Terje Wahl, deputy director-general of the Department of Space and Earth Sciences at the Norwegian Space Centre, told Science Norway.
“When a hammer thrower spins around before letting go he could nearly be rotating on a pinpoint. But as soon as he releases the hammer he takes a couple of awkward steps and flails his arms to keep from falling down,” Wahl added.
The Earth goes through phases from the Moon
The Earth, as seen from the Moon, also goes through phases.
Interestingly enough, Earth’s phases are the exact opposite of the Moon’s phases.
Therefore, when it’s a new Moon for us, it’s a ‘full Earth’ to the Moon; a full Moon to us is a ‘new Earth’ from the Moon.
Another surprising fact is that from the Moon’s surface, our Earth looks nearly four times larger than a full moon appears to us.
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In other news, the creators of a chilling new horror game say that the title is so disturbing they’ve been forced to censor it on PlayStation.
Apple has announced updates to AirTags following claims that the coin-sized tracking devices are being used to stalk people.
And TikTok has announced new rules, banning users who deadname or misgender others.
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