Audio
Lunar Inspiration, Listen!
Transcript
Hi there! My name is Gloria and I am joined by Savannah.
We are members of the night sky team at White Sands National Park. September 26th, 2020 is NASA’s 10th annual International Observe the Moon Night!
In celebration, we’ve been learning all kinds of fascinating information about our moon, and that’s what we’ll be sharing with you all today. We are also inviting you to take an imaginary expedition to the moon and send us a letter about your trip. We want to know if you can see White Sands National Park from space. How the weather up there? And what is your favorite mode of transportation? You can use this podcast as inspiration to get you started on your lunar adventure.
NASA’s website is also a wealth of information. That’s right, they’ve got some really cool stuff on there!
Okay then, are you ready to get started?!
Let’s do it!
Here we have six photos of different moons within our solar system. Can you tell which one is ours?
Beautiful!
Right!?
Our moon is the only one that circles earth, but there are other planets that have multiple moons, all with very different characteristics! Some are made of rock, others are made of ice, and some are even made of methane. Some are hot, while most are cold.
So we just saw 6 moons, but how many moons are there in our solar system?
That will actually probably surprise you! There are over 200 moons and possibly more that have yet to be discovered! Earth has 1, Mars has 2, Jupiter has 79 moons, and Saturn has 82! Uranus has 27 and Neptune has 14.
So, Mercury and Venus are the only planets in our solar system without moons?
Exactly!
Even some of the dwarf planets have moons: Pluto has 5, Haumea has 2, and Eris and Makemake each have 1. And at least one asteroid, Ida, that has a tiny moon of its own. But where did our moon come from and what makes it so special?
Astronomers believe it formed billions of years ago soon after Earth when a proto-planet about the size of Mars crashed into Earth. Debris was thrown into space, but still caught in Earth’s gravitational grip.
At this point, Earth had belt kind of like Saturn does now. These large hunks of rock collided into one another and eventually formed the large sphere we now know, as our Moon.
When the moon is full, it lights up the night! For something made of solid rock, the moon is very bright. It does not emit any light itself however, it simply reflects light that comes from the sun. We see the moon in phases as it orbits around earth. A night with “no moon” just means that the moon is between us and the sun so we see the shadow rather than the sun’s reflection.
On the surface of the moon are craters, mountains, and smooth, hardened beds of lava. These reflect light and also cast shadows creating shapes.
Our moon plays a major roll in ancient and popular culture. If you have ever stared at the shapes on the moon, they may start to look familiar. For instance, have you seen the “man in the moon”?
As a kid I always saw the rabbit in the moon.
The best times to view the moon are during the first and last quarters and while the moon is low on the horizon. You can use binoculars to get a better look at the craters, and with a telescope you'll get an even better view.
Many people have wanted to see the moon even closer. Scientists, engineers, and astronauts are among them. And many people view our moon as a destination, a dream vacation. Savannah, would you ever want to visit the moon?
I’m not too sure, it doesn’t seem all that cozy. One reason that Earth is so cozy and life thrives here is because we have an atmosphere! The atmosphere shields us from cosmic rays, meteorites, and solar winds. Something to consider when you visit the moon is that there is no atmosphere there. Because of this the moon is exposed to extreme conditions. It is void of sound and the sky is always black.
Our moon is also subject to extreme temperatures. The hottest place on Earth is Death Valley National Park, with a record high of roughly 134°F. But it gets twice as hot on the moon when the sun hits it’s rocky surface. The side of the moon where the sun doesn’t shine, the temperatures can plummet to negative 244°F. How do astronauts endure these extreme conditions?
The answer is highly engineered spacesuits. Which are a bit more expensive than your average tuxedo, but totally worth it.
Gravity on the moon is only 1/6th as strong as Earth’s. Someone who weighs 100 pounds here, would only weigh 17 pounds on the moon. That’s about as heavy as a small dog or a fat cat. Why is the moon’s gravity so much weaker than earth’s? Well that’s because the moon is so much smaller than earth.
On Earth, we are weighed down by 6 times the amount of gravity that astronauts experience on the moon. In 1972, astronaut Gene Cernan bunny hopped down a lunar slope during the Apollo 17 mission, claiming that it was the fasted way to move around. How do you think you’d get around, would you bunny hop, skip, gallop, or maybe even moon walk?
The tallest mountains on the moon, called massifs, reach a whopping 3 miles tall, more than half the height of Mount Everest. The largest crater is 187 miles from edge to edge, to drive across that is like driving from White Sands National Park to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
If you were on the moon, what would your vehicle look like?
So far, only 12 people have stepped foot on the moon, all on Apollo missions, and all were men. However, on NASA’s next mission, in 2024, they will land the first woman on the moon! The mission is named after Apollo’s twin sister, Artemis.
Space travel is extremely difficult, it’s dangerous, and expensive. So, why would anyone choose to go to the moon?
Well, when we travel even on Earth, we learn. Traveling to space is a huge learning opportunity. Space exploration helps to address fundamental questions about our place in the Universe. The moon is a steppingstone into the future. Coming up on the night of October 2nd, the moon will be full! White Sands National Park will be open late, until 9 pm. Come out and watch the moon rise over the dunes! This is a unique experience and we hope to see you there! So with that, our program comes to an end. Keep learning, exploring, and looking up at the sky!
Thank you all for joining us!
Description
Check out the podcast above for fascinating facts about our moon and spark your imagination.
Duration
6 minutes, 29 seconds
Credit
White Sands/NPS
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