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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  Chandrayaan-3: India lunar rover Pragyaan takes a walk on the Moon

Chandrayaan-3: India lunar rover Pragyaan takes a walk on the Moon

“India’s Moon rover has taken first steps on the lunar surface a day after the country made history by becoming the first to land near the south pole. Chandrayaan-3’s rover “ramped down” from the lander and “India took …

News  Russia’s first lunar mission in decades crashes into the moon

Russia’s first lunar mission in decades crashes into the moon

“ Russia’s first lunar mission in decades has ended in failure with its Luna 25 spacecraft crashing into the moon’s surface. The incident, a blow to Russia’s space ambitions, happened after communication with the robotic spacecraft was interrupted …

News  Russia’s Luna-25 moon lander reaches lunar orbit

Russia’s Luna-25 moon lander reaches lunar orbit

“Russia’s first moon mission since 1976 seems to be going well. For the first time in nearly half a century, Russia has made it to the moon. The nation’s Luna-25 mission — its first moon effort since Luna-24 in …

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 …