The moon

Question 1

Waxing

Answer 1

Right Side of moon is showing

Question 2

Waning

Answer 2

Left side of moon is showing

Question 3

Gibbous

Answer 3

Big chunk of moon is showing

Question 4

Crescent

Answer 4

Small slice of moon is showing

Question 5

First Quarter Moon

Answer 5

Right quarter is showing

Question 6

New moon

Answer 6

Can’t see moon

Question 7

Third Quarter Moon

Answer 7

Left quarter of moon is showing

Question 8

What causes phases of the moon?

Answer 8

Relative positions of the earth, moon, and sun

Question 9

Sidereal Period

Answer 9

Orbit time to match star positioning, 27.3 days for moon

Question 10

Synodic Period

Answer 10

How long it takes to moon to be by same stars in the same phase, 29.5 days

Question 11

Umbra

Answer 11

Full shadow cast by earth, total darkness

Question 12

Penumbra

Answer 12

Some light from the sun can be seen but most is blocked by earth

Question 13

Lunar Eclipse occurs when

Answer 13

The moon crosses into the umbra of earth, turns blood red since the light in the umbra is from the sunset/sunrise edges

Question 14

Why is the sky blue?

Answer 14

When sunlight reaches earth’s upper atmosphere the blue light scatters from the beam

Question 15

Sunset and Sunrise Colors

Answer 15

The remaining unscattered light, heads towards sides of earth, deficient in blue

Question 16

Phase of Lunar Eclipse

Answer 16

Full Moon, 2-3 eclipses per year

Question 17

Solar Eclipse

Answer 17

When moon casts shadow on earth

Question 18

Phase of Solar Eclipse

Answer 18

New Moon, 2-3 per year

Question 19

Why is it hard to see a solar eclipse?

Answer 19

Because the moon’s shadow is small and will spend much time over the ocean

Question 20

Why don’t we see solar eclipse every new moon?

Answer 20

Moon doesn’t rotate our equator so most times new moon is not blocking sun

Question 21

Annular Eclipse

Answer 21

When the moon passes directly between earth and the sun but moon is too far from earth to completely cover the sun, can see ring of sun around moon

Question 22

Density of Moon

Answer 22

3.34 g/cm^3

Question 23

Internal composition of moon

Answer 23

outside is covered in craters and maria, then crust, mantle, and core, weak magnetic field

Question 24

Lunar Maria

Answer 24

Dark planes (spots) formed by volcanic activity, lava filling meteor crater basins

Question 25

Far side of moon

Answer 25

very rugged, no large smooth planes

Question 26

Moon's crust

Answer 26

solid rock, 50-60km on near side, 70-100km on far side

Question 27

Moon's Mantle

Answer 27

1000km, mainly solid

Question 28

Moon's core

Answer 28

350-500km in radius, iron and nickel, partially molten, smaller in comparison to earth's core v. earth's size

Question 29

How did we find out the interior of the moon?

Answer 29

Seismic waves collected by seismographs left by Apollo missions

Question 30

Gravity Recover and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)

Answer 30

Gravitational field analysis, help understand interior of moon, launched in 2011

Question 31

Olivine

Answer 31

Mineral found on earth and moon, key component of earth's upper mantle, in moon's mantle, gives info about interior and age, geological processes

Question 32

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)

Answer 32

2009, designed to map moon's surface, temp and composition of surface, discovered water deposits near lunar poles, identifies good landing spots

Question 33

Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)

Answer 33

2009, sent ot confirm presence of water ice at shadowed craters, 600,000,000 m^3 of water ice

Question 34

Artemis I

Answer 34

used orion space craft, first step towards returning humans to the moon, uncrewed to test pace launch system, 25 days and orbited moon in 2022, heat shield and nav. was good, blocked solar radiation well

Question 35

Artemis II

Answer 35

First crewed test flight to moon since Apollo, 4 astronauts to confirm spacecraft works correctly, 10 days

Question 36

Artemis III

Answer 36

Landing on the moon, 2025, establishes sustainable presence on moon

Question 37

Origin of the moon options

Answer 37

Double Planet theory, fission theory, capture theory, large impact theory

Question 38

Double Planet Theory

Answer 38

argues earth and moon formed together as a binary system from the primordial disk of gas and dust that formed the solar system, differences between earth and moon composition don't support this theory

Question 39

Fission Theory

Answer 39

Suggests the moon was part of the earth and spun off due to rapid rotation, discredited due to lack of evidence, also moon doesn't orbit on the spin plane of earth, but densities are consistent

Question 40

Capture Theory

Answer 40

moon formed elsewhere and was later captured by earth's gravity, unlikely since are compositions are similar, not likely since it can't slow does without contact or 3rd object

Question 41

Large Impact Theory

Answer 41

most widely accepted theory, moon is formed by debris from a glancing blow between earth and a mars sized object (Thea), 4.5 billion years ago, disk of debris formed together to make moon (bits on earth and Thea), moon's composition is similar to earth's outer layers (formed from earth), material liquified from intense heat to form a sphere