25.2 the earth-moon system apollo 14 commander alan shepard planted an american flag on the moon’s...

25.2 The Earth-Moon System

Apollo 14 commander Alan Shepard planted an American flag on the moon’s surface in 1971.


Earth’s Moon

Why does the moon’s temperature vary widely?

The lack of an atmosphere allows the moon’s surface temperature to vary tremendously.


The moon’s gravity is too weak to hold onto gas molecules, which simply float away into space.

In direct sunlight, the average surface temperature of the moon is about 130°C. At night the average surface temperature plummets to –180°C.

Earth’s Moon


Because there is no atmosphere, any liquid water would have long ago evaporated into space.

Any water remaining on the moon must be frozen.

Evidence of ice near the moon’s north and south poles was detected by spacecraft observations.

Earth’s Moon


Surface Features

What features are found on the moon’s surface?

The major surface features of the moon are maria, highlands, and craters.


Maria and Highlands

Maria are low, flat plains formed by ancient lunar lava flows. They cover about 15 percent of the moon’s surface.

Light-colored areas called lunar highlands surround the maria. The lunar highlands, which cover most of the moon's surface, are rough, mountainous regions.

Surface Features


These photos show features of the moon. The large, dark areas in the top photo are maria. The lighter areas surrounding the maria are lunar highlands.

The moon is covered with craters that formed from the impacts of smaller objects.

Surface Features


Craters

Much of the moon’s surface is covered with impact craters. These craters are round depressions in the surface caused by the impact of high-speed meteoroids.

Meteoroids are chunks of rock that move through the solar system.

Although meteoroid collisions still occur, most craters formed more than 3.8 billion years ago.

Surface Features


On Earth, most old craters disappeared as the surface was altered by erosion or collisions between tectonic plates.

On the moon, however, there is little erosion and no plate motion to alter craters.

The lunar highlands are much more heavily cratered than the maria. Older craters within the maria were covered by more recent lava flows.

Surface Features


Formation of the Moon

How did the moon form?

Scientists hypothesize that the moon formed after an enormous collision early in Earth’s history.


About 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was full of pieces of rocky debris, some of which were the size of small planets.

• While Earth was still forming, a Mars-sized object probably collided with it off-center.

• This collision ejected a large amount of material into space.

• This material orbited Earth and eventually formed the moon.



The moon is thought to have formed in a spectacular collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized object.



Phases of the Moon

What causes the phases of the moon?

The moon’s phases are caused by changes in the relative positions of the moon, sun, and Earth as the moon revolves around Earth.


The moon doesn’t produce its own light. It reflects light from the sun.

• When you look at the moon, it sometimes appears full and bright, and sometimes appears as only a sliver.

• The different shapes of the moon visible from Earth are called phases.

Phases of the Moon


Sunlight illuminates half of the moon. The phase of the moon depends on how much of the sunlit portion of the moon is facing Earth.

• A full moon occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the sun.

• A new moon occurs when the moon is directly between the sun and Earth. A new moon cannot be seen from Earth because the sunlit side of the moon is facing away from us.

Phases of the Moon


Two different views of the phases of the moon are shown in this diagram.

Phases of the Moon


It takes about 29.5 days for the moon to complete a full cycle of phases. This period of time is known as a lunar month.

The same side of the moon always faces Earth.

This is because the moon makes one full rotation around its axis while making one full revolution around Earth.

Phases of the Moon


Eclipses

What causes solar and lunar eclipses?

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon casts a shadow on a portion of Earth’s surface.

A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth casts a shadow on the moon.


An eclipse occurs when the shadow of one body in space, such as a planet or moon, falls on another.

• For an eclipse to occur on Earth, the sun, moon, and Earth must all lie along a straight line.

Eclipses


• Eclipses do not occur every month because the plane of the moon’s orbit is tilted about 5 degrees with respect to the ecliptic.

• An eclipse occurs only when the moon crosses Earth’s ecliptic plane at the time of a new moon or full moon.

Eclipses


Solar Eclipse

During a new moon, when the moon is between the sun and Earth, Earth may pass through the shadow of the moon.

The small cone-shaped umbra is the darkest part of the moon’s shadow.

• In the umbra, the moon completely blocks sunlight.• Only people in a very narrow path across Earth’s

surface see a total solar eclipse.

Eclipses


Surrounding the umbra is the larger penumbra, a region of shadow that is less dark than the umbra.

People within the penumbra see a partial solar eclipse.

Eclipses


Lunar Eclipse

During a full moon, when Earth is between the sun and moon, the moon may pass through Earth’s shadow.

• Earth’s shadow has an umbra and a penumbra.• If the moon passes completely into Earth’s umbra,

you see a total lunar eclipse.• If the moon passes partially through the umbra, you

see a partial lunar eclipse.

Eclipses


Eclipses occur only at the new moon or the full moon.

Eclipses


Tides on Earth

What causes the tides?

Tides are the regular rise and fall of ocean waters.

Tides are caused mainly by differences in the moon’s gravitational pull on Earth.


The gravitational force of the moon pulls more strongly on the side of Earth that faces it, and less strongly on the side that is away from it.

This difference causes the entire Earth to be stretched. The effect of the moon’s gravity on the oceans is much greater than on the solid Earth.

Tides on Earth


The gravitational pull of the moon causes the oceans to bulge at the locations closest to and farthest from it.

• As Earth rotates on its axis, high tides occur when an area moves through either of these two bulges.

• Most coastal areas experience two high tides and two low tides each day.

Tides on Earth


The sun also has a gravitational effect on the oceans, but its tidal effects are only about half those of the moon.

During a new or full moon, the sun, moon, and Earth are in a straight line.

The combined forces produce a spring tide, where the change between daily high and low tides is the greatest.

Tides on Earth


When the moon is in its first or third quarter, the moon and the sun are pulling the Earth at right angles.

The result is a neap tide, where there is the least change between daily high and low tides.

Tides on Earth


A. During spring tides, the pulls of the moon and sun add together.

Tides on Earth


A. During spring tides, the pulls of the moon and sun add together.

B. During neap tides, the moon and sun pull Earth and its oceans at right angles.

Tides on Earth


Assessment Questions

1. Why do temperatures on the moon’s surface vary greatly? a. There is no gravity on the moon.

b. The moon orbits about Earth.

c. The uneven, rocky surface of the moon creates large shadow regions.

d. There is no atmosphere on the moon.



1. Why do temperatures on the moon’s surface vary greatly? a. There is no gravity on the moon.

b. The moon orbits about Earth.

c. The uneven, rocky surface of the moon creates large shadow regions.

d. There is no atmosphere on the moon.

ANS: D



2. What are the round impact depressions that cover much of the moon’s surface? a. mariab. cratersc. lakebedsd. meteoroids



2. What are the round impact depressions that cover much of the moon’s surface? a. mariab. cratersc. lakebedsd. meteoroids

ANS: B



3. What hypothesis about the formation of the moon is supported by much of the data currently available?

a. The moon was a large asteroid captured by Earth’s gravity.b. The moon formed when a planet-sized body collided with Earth.c. Internal stresses caused the early Earth to split into the moon and

Earth.d. Earth and the moon formed together from a planetary nebula.



3. What hypothesis about the formation of the moon is supported by much of the data currently available?

a. The moon was a large asteroid captured by Earth’s gravity.b. The moon formed when a planet-sized body collided with Earth.c. Internal stresses caused the early Earth to split into the moon and

Earth.d. Earth and the moon formed together from a planetary nebula.

ANS: B



1. A lunar eclipse can occur when the moon is between the sun and Earth.

TrueFalse



1. A lunar eclipse can occur when the moon is between the sun and Earth.

TrueFalse

ANS: F, solar eclipse

25.2 the earth-moon system apollo 14 commander alan shepard planted an american flag on the moon’s...

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