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 The moon is a planet-like object that revolves around the earth.
At only 1/6 that of the earth, the moon doesn't have enough gravitational
force to hold an atmosphere. This makes it very easy to see the moon from the
earth on nights when the sky is clear.
Here are a few interesting facts about the moon:
- Distance from the earth: 238,000 miles
- Diameter: 2,160 miles
- Mass: 7.35e22 kg
- Time to orbit the earth: 27.3 days
- Time to rotate on its axis: 27 earth days
Many people believe that the moon doesn't rotate on its axis, but it actually
does. It just does it very, very slowly. Why does it appear to stay in the same
position? Because the moon's speed of rotation is synchronized with earth such
that we always see the same side of it from earth.
The moon formed at the same time as the earth. The earth's gravitational pull
was strong enough to "grab" the moon and start it revolving around it
instead of the around the sun. Had the moon escaped from earth's gravity and
began revolving around the sun, it would have become a planet instead of a moon!
The moon has icecaps on either pole. As far as we know these icecaps are the
only water that currently exists on the moon. There is a possibility that future
astronauts will be able to gather some of the moon's frozen water for use on
missions to other planets.
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