5 Fun Facts About The Moon
Moon Fun Facts:
While there is much scientists are not aware of about the moon, through countless studies and hours of research, they have learned much. Now, for five fun facts about the moon, that you probably don’t know.
- The dark side of the moon is only a myth. The Moon’s two sides both end up seeing the same amount of light from the sun. That being said, only one of those sides are seen from Earth. This is because the Moon rotates around on its own axis in the same amount of time it takes to orbit the Earth, making the same side always face Earth. The side facing away from Earth has only been seen from spacecrafts.
- The Moon is drifting away from the Earth. Every year, the Moon moves about 3.8 cm away from this planet. It will likely continue to do so for at least another 50 billion years. By that time, the Moon will be taking around 47 days to orbit the Earth instead of the current 27.3 days.
- There is no atmosphere on the moon. Since there is no atmosphere, no sound can be heard on the Moon, and the sky always appears dark. The the Moon’s surface is not protected from cosmic rays, meteorites and solar winds, and also can have large temperature variations.
- The US was considering detonating a nuclear bomb on the Moon. During the 1950’s there was a secret project known as “A Study of Lunar Research Flights” and “Project A119.” The plan was so the US would have a show of strength at a time they was lagging in the space race.
- The Moon has quakes. Caused by the gravitational pull of the Earth, there are quakes on the moon somewhat similar to earthquakes. Astronauts used seismographs to find out that small moonquakes several kilometers beneath the moon’s surface. There were ruptures and cracks, making some think the Moon has a molten core as some planets do.
I hope you enjoyed these facts, and learned something new. If your look for more information on the moon, I would look for information at sights such as NASA.
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