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Moon
Information about Earth's Moon.
Actual |
Compared to Earth |
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| Distance from Earth (Average) | 239,000 miles | |
| Distance from Earth (Closest) | 221,000 miles | |
| Distance from Earth (Farthest) | 253,000 miles | |
| Distance from Earth (Current) | loading... loading... |
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| Revolution Period | 27.3 days | |
| Time from New Moon to New Moon | 29.5 days | -- |
| Diameter | 2160 miles | 1/4 (0.25) |
| Mass | 1/81 (0.012) | |
| Surface Gravity | 1.6 m/s2 | 1/6 (0.17) |
| Temperature (Sunlight) | 110 °C (212 °F) | |
| Temperature (Shadow/Dark) | -180 °C (-290 °F) | |
| Density (gram/cubic cm) | 3.34 gm/cm3 | 0.61 |
What to look for through the telescope
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Recommended eyepiece: 26mm or 40mm
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People often wonder why the moon map is upside down. While they are looking through the finder, tell them to notice which side of the moon is light and which is dark. Have them do the same with their naked eye and they should realize that telescopes turn images upside down.
Lunar Features
| Home > Solar System > Earth > Moon > Lunar Phases | top |
Lunar Phases
The phases of the Moon, in the sequence of their occurrence (from New Moon to New Moon):
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New Moon (0% Illumination) The Moon's unilluminated side is facing the Earth. The Moon is not visible (except during a solar eclipse). |
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Waxing Crescent (5-days old - 25%) The Moon appears to be partly but less than one-half illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon's disk that is illuminated is increasing. |
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First Quarter (9 days old – 50%) One-half of the Moon appears to be illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon's disk that is illuminated is increasing. |
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Waxing Gibbous (13 days old – 75%) The Moon appears to be more than one-half but not fully illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon's disk that is illuminated is increasing |
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Full Moon (15 days old – 100%) The Moon's illuminated side is facing the Earth. The Moon appears to be completely illuminated by direct sunlight. |
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Waning Gibbous (19 days old – 75%) The Moon appears to be more than one-half but not fully illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon's disk that is illuminated is decreasing. |
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Last Quarter (24 days old – 50%) One-half of the Moon appears to be illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon's disk that is illuminated is decreasing. |
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Waning Crescent (29 days old – 25%) The Moon appears to be partly but less than one-half illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon's disk that is illuminated is decreasing. |
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New Moon (29.5 days old - 0%) The Moon's unilluminated side is facing the Earth. The Moon is not visible (except during a solar eclipse). |
Following Waning Crescent is New Moon, beginning a repetition of the complete phase cycle of 29.5-days average duration. The time in days counted from the time of New Moon is called the Moon's "age". Each complete cycle of phases is called a "lunation".
source1
| Home > Solar System > Earth > Moon > Features by Phase | top |
Lunar Features by Phase
| Waxing Crescent | (1-5 days) |
| First Quarter | (6-9 days old) |
| Waxing Gibbous | (10-13 days old) |
| Full Moon | (14-15 days old) |
| Waning Gibbous | (16-19 days old) |
| Last Quarter | (20-24 days old) |
| Waning Crescent | (25-29 days old) |
| Home > Solar System > Earth > Moon > Apollo Program | top |
Apollo Landing Sites
| Mission | Longitude | Latitude | Location |
| Apollo 11 | 23° 29'E | 00° 40'N | just south of Hypatia |
| Apollo 12 | 23° 24'W | 03° 12'S | north of the crater Reinhold |
| Apollo 14 | 17° 28'W | 03° 40'S | southwest of the crater Gambant |
| Apollo 15 | 03° 39'E | 26° 06'N | between craters Apianus and Blanchinus |
| Apollo 16 | 15° 31'E | 09° 00'S | southwest of the crater Delambre |
| Apollo 17 | 30° 31'E | 20° 10'N | in the crater Fracastorius |
| Home > Solar System > Earth > Moon > References | top |
References
| 1 | 2017-04-17 | http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/moon_phases.php |