Moon

Question 1

size and distance of moon compared to earth

Answer 1

1/4 its radius, 384,000 km away, elongated towards it.

Question 2

moon rotation

Answer 2

27.3 days, synchronized.

Question 3

moon structure

Answer 3

crust - mare - solid rocky outer mantle - soft inner mantle - core

Question 4

moon interior

Answer 4

cold, inactive for 3 billion years, similar to earths mantle and crust

Question 5

moon surface

Answer 5

old, heavily cratered crust (highlands), darker volcanic plains (maria) mostly on near side

Question 6

moon crater size range

Answer 6

millimeters to 225 km wide

Question 7

moon atmosphere

Answer 7

basically nonexistent due to weak gravity, no sound/rain/wind/erosion/cloud/blue sky, etc.

Question 8

crater formation

Answer 8

meteoroid hits lunar surface

explosion, high speed ejecta material, shock waves downward

ejecta

crater formed with pulverized crust, ejecta blanket around, original surface raised, rim of crater shown.

Question 9

moons origin/formation

Answer 9

impact of mars sized object with earth shortly after earth formed almost 4.5 billion years ago and 20-50 million years after earth formed.

Question 10

how do we know moons formations is the way it is

Answer 10

with rocky outside and metallic core, when impact happened, most of the impactor’s metallic core became part of earth, leaving moon composed mostly of leftover rocky material from the impact.