1. The Moon Joel Tome Aaron Fujioka Pd. 3

2. The Moon A roughly spherical and rocky body which orbits the Earth at an average distance of 382,942 km Moon diameter = ¼ Earth diameter Moon mass = 1/80 Earth mass

3. Rotation and Orbit Rotates on axis every 29.5 days Axis tilted Craters near south pole always in shadows Sidereal month: complete orbit of Earth Synodic month: one lunar day, relative to sun

4. Origin and Evolution Collision known as “Giant Impact” or the “Big Whack” Occurred 4.6 billion years ago between Earth and planet-sized object Resulted in a cloud of vaporized rock which came from Earth’s surface

5. Origin and Evolution cont. Vaporized rock went into Earth’s orbit Cloud cooled and condensed into a ring of small and solid bodies Gathered together and formed the moon

6. Origin and Evolution cont. The quick joining together released lots of energy as heat Creating an “ocean” of magma It slowly cooled and solidified

7. Origin and Evolution cont. As the crust formed, asteroids continually hit the moon One created the South Pole-Aitken Basin One of the largest known impact craters in solar system

8. Interior of the Moon Crust- Average thickness is 43 miles Mantle- Formed during period of global melting, low density minerals floated to the outer layers and dense minerals sank deeper Core- Radius of 250 miles, consists mostly of iron and may contain large amounts of sulfur

9. Surface Features Craters: result from meteoroids, asteroids, comets Basins: craters 190 mi or more in diameter, rings vary with size Maria: dark areas on the surface of the moon (16% of SA)

10. Surface Features cont. Wrinkle ridges: blister-like humps across Maria Rilies: snakelike depression across Maria Volcanic features: dome/cone-shaped areas

11. The moon’s volcanic past Contained active volcanoes for billions of years Large dark areas filling the moon’s craters indicate the largest volcanic flows Almost exclusively on the near side

12. Works Cited Angelo, Joseph A., Jr. "Moon." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.. Elkins-Tanton, Linda T. "Moon." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 18 Jan. 2011.. "Moon." Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale Group, 2008. Discovering Collection. Gale. Mid-Pacific Institute. 14 Jan. 2011. Spudis, Paul D. "Moon." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web. 18 Jan. 2011.