Astronomy (Our Created Moon) Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is a moon?
A moon is any natural satellite that orbits a planet.
How is the moon described in Genesis 1:16?
“the lesser light that rules the night”
What three Hebrew words refer to the moon in the Old Testament?
Hodesh, ya-reah, and lebana
What is the Greek word for “moon” in the New Testament and what does it mean?
Selene- Brilliant or attractive.
How far away is the moon?
238,712 miles
What keeps the moon in the sky?
The moons tangent speed and falling motion add together to result in a smooth curving orbit around the earth.
What does the word “centripetal” mean?
“center-seeking”
What is the elusive force that occurs between objects- Even over large stretches of empty space and continues to puzzle scientists?
Gravity
What do physical laws say about the universe?
That it was created by a perfect creator.
Who said, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind?”
Neil Armstrong
How large is the moon?
The respective diameter is 2,160 miles.
What is another name for the mutual balance point or center-of-mass between two objects?
Fulcrum
Explain what is meant by “ a many body problem” in physics in how it relates to the gravity interactions between celestial objects like the moon, sun, or earth.
It’s a moment by moment analysis depending on gravity and the center-of-mass changing continually.
Why is the size of the moon considered so unusual compared to other moons we see in our solar system?
The moon is closer in size to earth to any other planet-moon relationship.
breccias
Rocks consisting of angular fragments cemented together.
libration
Apparent wobble of variation in the visible side of the moon.
lowlands
Flat areas that cover 1/2 of the moon’s visible side.
lunar eclipse
An eclipse in which the moon appears darkened as it passes into the earths shadow.
lunar highlands
Elevated areas on the moons surface.
regolith
The layer of unconsolidated rocky material covering..
sidereal period
The period of revolution of one body around another with respect to the distant starts.
synodic period
The time for a solar body to return to the same or approximately the same position relative to the sun as seen by an observer on Earth.
Why is the moon also referred to as a “secondary” or “double planet” companion to earth?
It’s more than 5 percent the diameter of the Earth.
Why do we see only one side of the moon?
The moon rotates once on its axis during the very same time that it orbits the earth.