22.3 – Earth’s Moon

Do Now What are the stages that formed the moon?

Do Now What are the stages that formed the moon? A large object collided with Earth, when Earth was forming, and the debris was ejected into space. The debris began orbiting around Earth and eventually united to form the moon.

02/27/12

Key Words Density Erosion Depressions Topographic

Vocab Words Crater Ray Mare Rille Lunar Regolith

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Earth’s Moon Earth now has hundreds of satellites, but only one is a natural satellite, the moon. Other planets have moons, but the relationship between the Earth and the moon is very unique compared to others. Earth’s moon is unusually large in comparison to it’s parent planet, Earth. The moon is ¼ the size of Earth, which is large for a moon vs its parent planet Diameter of the Earth = 12,756 kilometers Diameter of the moon = 3475 kilometers

Earth’s Moon The most information that we have learned about the moon has come from the Apollo missions from 1969-1972. The density of the moon is 3.3 times of water on Earth and it is comparable to the mantle rock on Earth. The gravitational attraction at the lunar surface is 1/6 of that experienced on Earth. A 150-pound person on Earth weighs on 25 pounds on the moon.

Lunar Surface Craters Most obvious feature on the moon Most were created by the impact of rapidly moving debris Highlands Densely pitted, light-colored areas Cover the far side of the moon, the side that faces us Maria The dark, relatively smooth area on the moon Ancient beds of basaltic lava Regolith Soil-like layer composed of igneous rocks, glass beads and fine lunar dust

02/27/12

Group Activity Use the moon’s surface worksheet to label the topographic features of the moon.