Cool moon facts


COOL MOON FACTS


We all know that the natural satellite "Luna" that hovers above us is the moon though it  disappears for some nights. Moon phases and the moon's orbit is a mystery for some of us.






We all know that the natural satellite "Luna" that hovers above us is the moon though it  disappears for some nights. Moon phases and the moon's orbit is a mystery for some of us.

Did you notice that we get to see the same face (one side) of the moon always. That is because it takes 27.3 days for both the moon to spin on its axis and orbit around the earth. It is in a synchronous rotation with the earth.

Scientists believe that the moon's orbit is expanding over time as it slows down. For example, billion years ago, the Moon was much closer to the Earth  and took only 20 days to orbit the Earth. Also, one Earth 'day' was about 18 hours long (instead of our 24 hour day). The tides on Earth were also much stronger since the moon was closer to the Earth.

That brings us to the question why do we have 24hrs in a day?. It is the amount of time it takes for the earth to complete one rotation on its axis. Earth rotation is the one that gives us day and night.

We experience seasons on earth because it is tilted at 23.5 degrees from its axis where as moon is only tilted at 1.5 degrees from  its axis. This means that one side of the moon gets hotter and the other side remains colder and  so you  will not experience seasons while you  are on the moon.

Wow !isn't it amazing to note how nature functions?.

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