Here are 3 facts about the Moon you probably didn’t know

Published on December 30, 2023 at 01:28 by Aurélia ABISUR

Even though we see it almost every evening, our satellite has not yet revealed all its mysteries. Find out several facts about him that you may not know.

© LeonardoFernndezLzaro / 500px

Monday

Read laterSavedFollow #astronomy#astronomy Follow

The Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite, appeared about 4.46 billion years ago, “shortly” after our planet (4.54 billion years). From the exploratory mission Apollo 11, in 1969, where humans first walked on its surface, much has been learned about it. However, she is still far from having revealed all her secrets.

Check out our latest podcast

A big step for humanity

It is undoubtedly with the conquest of the Moon that humanity took one of its greatest steps. The Moon is there natural and unique satellite of the Earth ; but it is also a 3-day space trip, necessary to connect the 384,000 kilometers that separate the two stars. It is also a surface riddled with craters or the presence of water in the form of glass beads. But above all there are a lot of other mysteries that barely continue to be solved.

3 facts about the Moon you didn’t know

From 2023, India he is part of the club of the four nations in the world to have walked there, and thus to tread its hidden face. All the different missions put together provide a deeper understanding of its composition and other characteristics. Here are three.

1. The Moon is moving away from the Earth

Since the first Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s, the NASA astronauts he got into the habit of measuring the distance that separates the Earth from its satellite, using reflectors that had been placed on the latter. Over the years, scientists have realized that the Moon is receding at a rate of 3.8 centimeters per year. In several million years we will therefore have to say goodbye to solar eclipses, but also get used to looking at another star in the sky.

READ Also:  'The international community must fulfill its commitments on climate change'

2. The Moon is a mini planet Earth

Our rocky satellite 4.46 billion years formed after a Mars-sized planet called Theia crashed into Earth. Huge amounts of debris were ejected from the earth’s primordial crust. Combining, they formed the Moon, which has been orbiting our planet ever since.

3. Its tectonic plates are in perpetual motion

And yes, there are earthquakes on the Moon. Shouldn’t we rename them “moonquakes”? They are proof that the star’s tectonic plates are constantly moving. Even Earth’s gravity is not entirely unrelated to the situation. One of the last tremors detected, very powerful, dates back to August 2023.

Read also:


2023-12-30 00:28:00
#facts #Moon #didnt

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.