1. Moon, Moon Phases & Eclipses

2. The Moon

3. Myths about the Moon The Moon is made of cheese! There is a Man in the Moon. The Moon and the Sun chase each other across the sky. The Moon disappears during certain days of the month. There are men or other creatures living on the Moon. The Moon was put in the sky by a person or animal. The Moon is a living creature or a god. The Moon controls how we act and how we feel. During a full moon, some people turn into werewolves. The Moon is pulled across the sky by a person, animal, or force.

4. Myths Greek goddess Artemis, roman goddess Diana

5. Myths Chinese mythology: Chang’e (Chinese Goddess of moon) Moon festival

6. Calendar The current standard calendar is solar calendar (Gregorian calendar) – counting days The moon phases have a period of 29.5 days, a good measure of time Lunar calendars – counting days and months E.g. Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar 29.5 * 12 = 354, 11 days less than 365 Lunisolar calendar – Chinese calendar, Hebrew calendar Adding leap months, with a circle of 19 years

7. Moon – our closest natural neighbor The earth’s only natural satellite Orbit around the earth is an ellipse Average distance from the earth to the moon is 384,403 kilometers (238,857 miles) – 30 times the diameter of the earth Diameter of 3,474 km, ¼ of the earth Gravity 1/6 of the earth

8. Moon Phases Why does the moon change phases? Lunar phases are the result of our eyes seeing the illuminated half of the Moon from different viewing geometries Due to the Moon’s orbital positions

9. The Moon’s Orbit around the earth

11. Moon Phases

12. When new moon occurs, what is the phase of the earth if you stand on the moon? Full earth! The earth always has an opposite phase to the moon.

13. Eclipses When One celestial object casts its shadow on the other one

14. Solar Eclipses Sun – the shadow of the moon on the earth Total solar eclipse in 1999

15. A – total eclipse B – annular eclipse C – partial eclipse

16. Lunar Eclipses Moon – the shadow of the earth on the moon

18. Lunar Eclipse

19. Moon’s orbit The orbit period around the earth – 27.3 days The spin period is exactly the same! We always see the same side of the moon! ( precisely speaking 59% of the surface during the whole period of the moon revolution. Reason: libration) The period of Lunar Phase – 29.5 days Because of the earth’s revolution in the space

20. Moon’s orbit The orbit plane of the moon is tilted by ~5 degree with respect to the earth’s orbit around the sun, unlike other planets

21. What’s the moon phase when a solar eclipse occurs? What’s the moon phase when a lunar eclipse occurs? New Moon Full Moon

22. Why aren’t there solar eclipses and lunar eclipses on EVERY new moon and full moon?

23. Two conditions must be satisfied for an eclipse to occur 1.The nodes of the moon’s orbit must be nearly aligned with the Sun and the Earth 2.The phase of the moon must be new or full

24. Eclipses Cycle Every year there are at least two lunar eclipses Lunar eclipses and solar eclipses always come in pairs Lunar eclipses can be seen everywhere on the earth, but the solar eclipses may only be seen on part of the earth

26. Solar eclipses

27. One Year of the Moon Full 2013 Lunation (Cycle of the moon) What things can you notice about the moon in the video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1g2gC Ac3BQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1g2gC Ac3BQ

28. Near Side Far Side

29. Moon’s surface Maria (sigular mare, ‘sea’ in Latin) –Dark areas and were thought to be seas –Cover 31% of the near side, but only 2% of the far side –No water but vast pools of solidified lava that flowed into basins formed by comets/metors colliding –Nomenclature Latin terms describing the weather and abstract concepts –Smaller dark regions Lacus (Lake) Palus (marsh) Sinus" (bay) Maria Highland Crater

30. Moon’s surface Highland –Lighter color regions, or called Terrae –Many are impact basins’ outer rims –In contrast to earth, no major lunar mountains were formed as a result of tectonic events –Mountains and mountain ranges –Different brightness of the highlands and maria is because they are composed of different rock types Maria Highland Crater

31. Craters Formed when asteroids/comets hit the lunar surface Half a million craters with diameters larger than 1km Crater counting – to estimate the age of the lunar surface The largest crater is South Pole-Aitken basin, with 2,240 kms in diameter and 13 kms in depthSouth Pole-Aitken basin Nomenclature: –Large craters, deceased famous scientists, artists –Small craters, common first names Daedalus, 93 km in diameter Proposed as a site for a large radio telescope

32. The formation of the moon Born from the earth - broke off from the earth by centrifugal forces, and left the pacific ocean behind Captured by the earth’s gravity Co-formation with the earth Giant impact hypothesis –An impact of a Mars-sized body collide w/ the proto- Earth and ejected materials to orbit around the earth – the Moon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIKmSQqp8wY

33. Lunar Interior Most Heavy materials (Fe, Ni, Etc.) came to earth in the collision There is a small iron-rich core Mantle and crust is primarily basaltic in composition

34. Lunar Atmosphere *Almost* non-existent –One trillionth the pressure on earth –Trace amounts from multiple sources Na/K from “sputtering” He-4 from solar wind Ar, Ra, & Po from radioactive decay No atmosphere has an effect on temperature –Wild variation: 35 K (-238 C) in polar craters –Day side temps up to 396 K (123 C

35. Explorations of the moon Ancient people observed the moon by naked eyes, and wrote poems and essays, and told myths Galileo first observed the moon using an telescope The only celestial body the human being has orbited and landed –First impact: Luna 2 of Soviet Union in 1959 –First far side picture: Luna 3 in 1959 –First soft landing: Luna 9 in 1966 –First men’s step on the moon: Apollo 11 in 1969 Several more missions occurred through 1974 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSLRMdYSA9M