Earth's Moon Flashcards
occur only during full moon phase
Lunar Eclipse
Earth, the Sun and the Moon are in a line
Syzgy
2 Lunar Motions
Synodic Month and Sidereal Month
Earth’s only natural satellite
Moon
the Moon’s current orbital distance is about thirty times the diameter of Earth, causing it to have an apparent size in the sky almost the same as that of the Sun
Eclipse
period of rotation on its axis equals its period of revolution around Earth
Sychronous Rotation
similar to a semidiurnal pattern except that it is characterized by a large inequality in high water heights, low water heights, or both
Mixed Tidal Pattern
First Human on the Moon
Neil Armstrong
Buzz Aldrin
Michael Collins
Parts of moon
>partially molten metal zone
>iron-rich core
>rigid mantle
>thick crust
first man-made object to escape Earth’s gravity and pass near the Moon
Luna 1
when the moon is closest to Earth
Perigee
occurs when one heavenly body bocks the light shining from a second onto a third
Eclipse
can last up to 4 hours and is visible to anyone on the side of Earth facing the Moon
Lunar Eclipse
occur when the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun are perpendicular to one another (with respect to the Earth)
Neap Tides
gray debris derived from a few billion years of meteoric bombardment
Lunar Regolith
characterized by a single high tide and a single low tide each tidal day
Diurnal Tidal Pattern
visible only to people in the dark part of the Moon’s shadow
Total Solar Eclipse
>the second full moon in a calendar month
>the first of the full moons must appear at or near the beginning of the month so that the second will fall within the same month
>rare event
Blue Moon
the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon are pulling in different directions
= minimum effect
first crewed mission to orbit the moon
Apollo 8
the Moon is completely within Earth’s shadow but is still visible as a coppery disk, because..?
Earth’s atmosphere bends some long-wavelength light (red) into its shadow
occur during the full moon and the new moon
Spring Tide
first unmanned vehicle to orbit the Moon
Luna 10
27 1/3 days
Sidereal Month
since the Earth is also being pulled toward the moon (and away from the water on the far side)
another bulge occurs on the opposite side
exhibits two high tides and two low tides each tidal day, with the two highs about the same height and the two lows about the same height
Semidiurnal Tidal Pattern