20 curious facts about the moon

The only natural satellite of the earth, the moon attracts and fascinates us. From myths and poetry to science, this celestial body has much more influence on us than we think. Known 20 curious facts about the moon and some other things that will leave you amazed by the wonders of this satellite.

20 curious facts about the moon

1) The distance to the moon from Earth is 384,400 kilometers.

2) As a matter of gravity, people and things weigh differently than on earth. A person who on our planet weighs 45 kilos, on the Moon would weigh 8.05 kilos.

3) It takes 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes to go around the earth and it is the same time it takes to go around the earth, that is why it always shows us the same face.

4) As it has one sixth of the gravity that exists on earth and its atmosphere is almost non-existent, the thermal amplitude is incredible. On hot days it can rise to 123º and at night it can drop to -233º.

5) It is the fifth largest satellite in the solar system.

6) Despite appearing very bright due to the effect that the sun has on it, its surface is actually very dark with a reflection very similar to that of carbon.

7) It is the only celestial body on which humanity has made a manned descent.

8) The moon landings facilitated the study of their origin and composition since they returned from their trips with more than 380 kg of lunar rock.

9) The last time a human stepped on the moon was in 1972, then it has only been visited by unmanned space probes.

10) It is called the moon, despite the fact that there are others because until the fifteenth century it was believed that it was the only one in existence.

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eleven) Its equatorial radius is 1,737.5 kilometers, quite small if we compare it with our planet, although it is one of the largest in the solar system.

12) If it is so small, why does it look so big? Because although its size is 400 times smaller than the Sun, it is 400 times closer to the earth.

13) Have you ever seen the Red Moon? It only happens when there is a total lunar eclipse. During this event, the earth is interposed between the Sun and the Moon, allowing very little light to pass through, which is reflected on its surface, generating a reddish color. It is also often called blood Moon for its tonality.

14) And have you heard of the blue moonhe? That you have seen it for sure, because it is not actually that color but it is called that when there is an “extra” moon in a season that would normally have four full moons. Usually It happens about every two and a half years.

15) And the days when the moon appears to be three times its size? That is also an astronomical event and is called ”Super moon”. The supermoon, which gets its name because it actually looks much bigger than ever before, occurs because the satellite is at the closest point in its orbit to Earth.

16) Its origin comes from 4,500 million years ago when a wandering planet the size of Mars collided with the young Earth. Not only was the satellite born from this collision, but also the life that was generated from the so-called broth of life, made up of hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon.

17) The size of the moon and its distance from the earth caused, together with other processes such as the appearance of water vapor, that 700 million years later the moon raised the tides.

18) Although we always see its same face, the lunar day causes us to have different phases, which are produced by the change in the position of the Moon with respect to the At times when it is between the Earth and the Sun, not the we can see, hence this phase is called New Moon. When the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, the part of the Moon closest to the Earth is the illuminated half, hence we call this phase Full Moon. Finally, when a quarter of its surface is in intermediate phases: those of the waxing or waning quarter.

19) There are those who believe that the moon alters the mood and behavior of humans but it is not something that science has been able to prove. Although it is true that some animals become more active, loud and fertile when the full moon shines.

20) Originally the earth had much faster days (5 hours) but it was the gravitational force of the moon that slowed down the rotation until the day began to have 24 hours.

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What do you think of these curious facts about the moon? Did you know them? tell us in the comments.

Sources: Traveler.es, Very Interesting, BBC.