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Moon

The Moon is an astronomical body that orbits Earth as its only natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits (its primary). The Moon is, after Jupiter's satellite Io, the second-densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known. The Moon is thought to have formed about 4.51 billion years ago, not long after Earth. The most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia. New research of Moon rocks, although not rejecting the Theia hypothesis, suggests that the Moon may be older than previously thought. The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, and thus always shows the same side to Earth, the near side. The near side is marked by dark volcanic maria that fill the spaces between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. After the Sun, the Moon is the second-brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth's sky. Its surface is actually dark, although compared to the night sky it appears very bright, with a reflectance just slightly higher than that of worn asphalt. Its gravitational influence produces the ocean tides, body tides, and the slight lengthening of the day. The Moon's average orbital distance is 384,402 km (238,856 mi), or 1.28 light-seconds. This is about thirty times the diameter of Earth. The Moon's apparent size in the sky is almost the same as that of the Sun, since the star is about 400 times the lunar distance and diameter. Therefore, the Moon covers the Sun nearly precisely during a total solar eclipse. This matching of apparent visual size will not continue in the far future because the Moon's distance from Earth is gradually increasing.

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News  The Moon’s heart revealed for the first time

The Moon’s heart revealed for the first time

“Fifty years after Apollo 11 paved the way for the first surveys of the Moon, a team of scientists from CNRS, Université Côte d’Azur, the Côte d’Azur Observatory, Sorbonne Université and the Paris Observatory-PSL has shed light …

News  Japan firm fails in bid for historic moon landing

Japan firm fails in bid for historic moon landing

“Japanese startup Ispace conceded Wednesday its attempt to become the first company to land on the moon had ended in failure, but pledged to move ahead with new missions. The unmanned Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander had been scheduled to touch …

News  Telling time on the Moon

Telling time on the Moon

“A new era of lunar exploration is on the rise, with dozens of Moon missions planned for the coming decade. Europe is in the forefront here, contributing to building the Gateway lunar station and the Orion spacecraft – set to return …

News  Farming on the Moon

Farming on the Moon

“Sooner or later, settlers on the Moon will have to become farmers. A new ESA Discovery project led by Norway’s Solsys Mining is looking into the treatment of lunar soil to create fertiliser for growing plants. The good news …

News  NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Team Assessing Spacecraft’s Propulsion System

NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Team Assessing Spacecraft’s Propulsion System

“The mission is characterizing its new “green” propulsion system and developing a modified plan for the briefcase-size satellite’s journey to the Moon. NASA’s Lunar Flashlight mission successfully launched on Dec. 11, 2022, to begin its four-month journey to …

News  Splashdown! NASA’s Orion Returns to Earth After Historic Moon Mission

Splashdown! NASA’s Orion Returns to Earth After Historic Moon Mission

“NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Baja California, at 9:40 a.m. PST Sunday after a record-breaking mission, traveling more than 1.4 million miles on a path around the Moon and returning …

News  Artemis I – Flight Day Eight: Orion Exits the Lunar Sphere Of Influence

Artemis I – Flight Day Eight: Orion Exits the Lunar Sphere Of Influence

“On the eighth day of its mission, Orion continues to travel farther away from the Moon as it prepares to enter a distant retrograde orbit. The orbit is “distant” in the sense that it’s at a high altitude from …

News  Liftoff! NASA’s Artemis I Mega Rocket Launches Orion to Moon

Liftoff! NASA’s Artemis I Mega Rocket Launches Orion to Moon

“Following a successful launch of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket in the world, the agency’s Orion spacecraft is on its way to the Moon as part of the Artemis program. Carrying an uncrewed Orion …

News  How 2 astrophotographers teamed up to capture a stellar image of the moon

How 2 astrophotographers teamed up to capture a stellar image of the moon

“Two astrophotographers have teamed up to produce an out-of-this-world photo of the moon, capturing over 200,000 shots to create a single image. Andrew McCarthy and Connor Matherne collaborated last November to push their photography skills to the limit. Their …

News  NASA Selects Draper to Fly Research to Far Side of Moon

NASA Selects Draper to Fly Research to Far Side of Moon

“NASA has awarded Draper of Cambridge, Massachusetts a contract to deliver Artemis science investigations to the Moon in 2025. The commercial delivery is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative under Artemis. Draper will receive $73 million …