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The moon travels at about 2,288 miles per hour as it orbits the earth. The interesting part about this is that the speed of the moon is an estimate. This is because the moon travels at different speeds depending on where it is in its orbit. When it is further away from the earth, the moon travels more slowly than it does when it is closer to the earth. The closer that the moon is to the earth, the faster it travels. This means that it is travelling at its fastest when it is closest to the earth. The orbit of the moon is more elliptical than it is circular.
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| Moon |
One of the most interesting facts about the moon is how different it is than earth. The moon does not have an atmosphere like we do on earth. The moon does not have weather, and therefore, it does not have erosion. Anything that was placed on the moon or any marks that have been made on its surface will last for millions of years. This is because there is nothing out there that will alter it unless it is hit by a meteor. In this case, there will be a crater in the moon. Meteors are the reason that the moon has craters.
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| Moon |
One of the biggest questions that people had about the moon was if there is water on it or not. There were many missions that astronauts went on in order to find an answer to this question. However, it took many years before they finally came to their conclusion. There actually is water on the moon, but it was not found until November of 2009. Astronauts were being sent to the moon for decades before water was found. This was why there were scientists wondering if there was actually water on the moon. Once it was found, this question was answered.
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| Moon |
Alan Sheppard was one of the astronauts that took a trip to the moon. During this time, scientists were curious about what the environment was like on the moon. Alan Sheppard decided that he would hit a golf ball on the moon just as he would on earth. On the moon, the golf ball acted very differently. Since there is not a gravitational pull on the moon, once he hit it, the golf ball went about half a mile in distance. This is a much longer distance that it would have gone if he were to drive it the same way on earth.
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| Picture: moon |
Neil Armstrong was the first man from the United States to set foot on the moon. Not only was this an important time in history, but there is an interesting fact that goes along with it. Of course, when he set foot on the moon, he left footprints behind just as you would if you were to step on a beach. However, on the moon there is no wind. This means that his footprints will be on the moon for millions of years because there is no force that will take them away. His footprints that were undisturbed by the rockets will last forever.
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| Crescent Moon |
When you see a crescent moon, it does not mean that the moon has changed shape in any way. You are only able to see the portion of the moon that the sun is currently shining on. The earth is between the sun and the moon, and this is what causes a shadow to be cast on the moon. Depending on where the sun and the earth are in reference to the moon, you will be able to see either a crescent or a full moon. You can see a full moon when the sun is able to shine on the entire surface of the moon that we can see. Some nights, you may find that you are unable to see the moon at all.
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| Moon and Earth |
Astronauts typically travel between the moon and earth. Since the environment is extremely different on the moon, it is essential for them to wear special spacesuits in order for them to be able to survive in the atmosphere of the moon. You have to be in good physical condition in order to be an astronaut because on earth, the spacesuits that they wear are almost 200 pounds. This is not a problem when they get on the moon because there is not as much gravitational pull there, and the suits only weigh 30 pounds. This is much different from their weight on earth.
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| Moons of Jupiter |
The planet Jupiter has a number of moons, which is very different from earth. Earth only has one moon, while Jupiter has at least 60 of them. Jupiter's moons vary in size from extremely small to immense. There are names for many of the moons that have been found near Jupiter. There are a lot of the moons that have recently been discovered. These moons have not been named yet; however, there is a lot of information that is known about many of the moons that Jupiter has. Most scientists order these moons by the distance that they are away from Jupiter, much like we order the planets in our solar system by the distance that they are from the sun.
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| Blue Moon |
Since there are times when there will not be a full moon during a month, you will find that there may be two full moons in the month after. When there are two full moons in a single month, it is known as a blue moon. Of course, the moon does not actually turn blue during these times. The first full moon of the month is just known as a full moon, but the second full moon that occurs during the same month is called a blue moon. Since it does not happen often, this is where we get the expression once in a blue moon.
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| Full Moon |
You may never have thought about it, but most people believe that there is a full moon that occurs each month of the year. However, this is not necessarily true. It is possible to have months that do not have a full moon at all. This typically happens during the month of February because it is the shortest month of the year. Keep in mind that there are still 12 full moons each calendar year. This is when you will find that there is more than a single full moon during a month. It is usually before or after the month that has not had a full moon.
