Questions tagged [the-moon]
Questions regarding Earth's only natural satellite. For questions about the natural satellites of other planets, use the tag [natural-satellite].
749
questions
6
votes
2
answers
8k
views
If a person were to die on the Moon or Mars, would the body decompose?
There wouldn't be enough oxygen for any bacteria to decompose the body, right? Not to mention, the radiation of space might kill off most organisms on it. So would it decompose, given millions of ...
- 7,940
6
votes
3
answers
323
views
Is there any man-made satellite orbiting our moon?
I am just wondering whether any man-made satellites are currently orbiting our Moon. If there is one, would I be able to see it using my telescope?
6
votes
2
answers
182
views
Absolute model ages of lunar craters
I have been looking at several articles on the dating methods of craters, but I am wondering how exactly the "absoluteness" creeps into it. I came across several methods that link crater &...
- 1,095
6
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Formulas to determine the illuminated phase and orientation of the Moon
The phase of the Moon (the bright limb) looks different depending on where on Earth the observer is located and the time of the observation. I've located this video and the accompanying spreadsheet ...
- 161
6
votes
2
answers
395
views
What's the difference between a crater and a basin?
When I was searching the name of the Moon's largest crater, many websites said that it was the South Pole-Aitken Basin. But in some definitions I've found, the word "crater" is used to ...
- 61
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Lunar phases if Earth was tidally locked to the Moon
I know that the Earth will never become tidally locked to the Moon, so this is purely hypothetical.
If I understand correctly, in this hypothetical scenario an Earth day is now a lot longer at ...
6
votes
1
answer
721
views
What is Earth believed to have looked like before the collision with Theia?
Let's assume the moon was formed because Earth collided into Theia. (There are numerous other theories, but this one is the most widely accepted.)
In that case, are there theories that address what ...
- 169
6
votes
1
answer
684
views
Red cresent moon
Yesterday night i witnessed something very strange when i looked outside the window. I saw the moon (crescent) but it was dull red and right on the horizon ,which is strange considering that it is ...
- 163
6
votes
1
answer
985
views
Planets positions (azimuth, altitude) API
I'm looking for a simple API that will allow me to get positions of planets and the moon for a given date, location and time.
Does anyone know an API like that?
Any suggestions or alternatives would ...
- 63
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Are red moons possible without eclipses or smoke from fires?
This morning I was on the bus and as I looked out of the window I saw that the moon was larger than usual and red. I live in eastern Norway and it was about -20ºF / 30ºC outside. There's no forest ...
- 61
6
votes
3
answers
384
views
Is extraterrestrial mining more difficult or impractical for bodies without plate tectonics?
This article talks about the possibility of mining Uranium on the moon. Since the Moon lacks the geological forces that have created veins of concentrated minerals on Earth, would extraterrestrial ...
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Connection between Earth, Moon, Theia, and asteroid belt?
Are there other fragments aside from the Moon that resulted from the collision of Earth and "Theia" (as it's called in recent main-stream press stories)? And if not, why not? And what ...
- 203
6
votes
1
answer
96
views
Recommended papers
I am highly interested in how the moon originated. Theories suggest that the moon is a chunk of the earth, or rather, both were at one point one celestial body. Is there any literature out there with ...
- 241
6
votes
1
answer
81
views
Why would the Chang'e-4 lander find lunar far side temp. "colder than scientists expected", when the LRO has already been taking thermal readings?
In January, the Chinese probe lander Chang'e-4 was was announced to have found temperatures dipping lower on the far side than expected ("Chinese rover finds lunar nights 'colder than expected'" by R. ...
- 387
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How can Earth-Sun Lagrange points L1 & L2 even be semi stable considering the moon?
I know that the Earth-Sun Lagrange L1, L2, and L3 points are not considered stable over longer periods, especially when compared to L4 and L5... But, with the moon orbiting the Earth in the general ...
- 61
6
votes
1
answer
456
views
Evidence behind Giant Impact hypthesis
The giant impact hypothesis is a theory to explain how the moon was formed. What evidence is there that supports the theory and led us to find the current theory?
- 578
6
votes
1
answer
299
views
What method is used to calculate the 'quality' of a solar/planetary image?
What sort of algorithm is used to calculate the relative quality of an image, such as is performed by PIPP, Registax, or Avistack?
Such applications take planetary or solar images and prior to ...
- 3,234
6
votes
1
answer
502
views
How fast was the Earth spinning directly after the Moon formed?
I understand the Moon was perhaps five Earth radii away when it first formed (assuming it was formed by a giant impact of a Mars-sized body), and Earth has since transferred its rotational energy into ...
- 394
6
votes
1
answer
876
views
Is there any real chance of getting hit with a meteorite if we build a base on the moon?
I've been reading an article today on how the European Space Agency (ESA) has an interest in building a space village on the moon which will be 3D printed and assembled by robots. Eventually people ...
- 475
6
votes
1
answer
730
views
How did pre-Earth's mass and orbit change at the Moon formation event?
The popular, but still disputable, Moon formation theory is that a pre-Earth was hit by a Mars sized planet. The mass ratio of Earth:Mars:Moon is roughly 100:10:1.
Does this mean that pre-Earth was ...
- 11.1k
6
votes
1
answer
118
views
What mechanism could have formed the Moon's Oceanus Procellarum rift-like gravity anomalies?
According to the NASA JPL web-report, Gravity Gradients Frame Oceanus Procellarum, a rift-like ring structure surrounding the Moon's Oceanus Procellarum has been detected as a gravity anomaly by the ...
user2449
6
votes
2
answers
325
views
Tide on the Moon
If the Earth's Moon had a water ocean of depth 2-4 Km, how high would the tides rise due to the Earth's gravity? (Just a hypothetical question.)
- 1,064
6
votes
1
answer
570
views
Is lunar elevation at a given location for a given day unimodal?
Is lunar elevation at a given location for a given day unimodal:
Unimodal function
In other words, once the moon's elevation reaches a minimum (which may
be above or below the horizon depending on ...
user21
6
votes
0
answers
72
views
The presence of maars on the Moon
Wondering if there's any evidence to date of the existence of maar craters on the Moon? If not, how probable is it that the moon ever supported the necessary conditions for maars to form?
A report ...
- 61
6
votes
0
answers
89
views
What is the relation between the saros (18 years, 11 days, 8 hours) and the period of lunar nodal precession (18.6 years)?
I am wondering. I am sure that they are related. How can we derive one from the other?
- 489
6
votes
2
answers
513
views
The most feasible hypothesis about Theia
The formation of the Moon had many hypothesis over the years, most of them involving a Mars-sized body called Theia, which presumably collided with the Earth. But even within the Theia hypothesis, is ...
- 1,770
5
votes
3
answers
954
views
can moon rise before sun and set after it in the same day
I found it mentioned in ancient Arabic astronomic book Kitāb al-Amwāl by Ibn Qutaybah (889 AD)
Cresent can't be seen in the morning in the east in front of the sun and in the evening i the west ...
- 151
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Why doesn't the moon always follow the same path? Or why aren't the moon's apoapsis and periapsis fixed?
I have seen many times that the moon doesn't follow the same path. Sometimes the moon gets very close to earth which is shown in the news. If the periapsis of the moon is soo close then why doesn't a ...
- 153
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Are these parallel lines I'm seeing in this image a real pattern on the Moon?
In this question I mention the GIF in EarthSky.org's Moon Phases update Lengths of lunar months in 2017. After watching it a while, I've noticed a pattern of parallel nearly vertical lines on the Moon ...
- 30.8k
5
votes
2
answers
38k
views
Why don't stars move in the night-sky as the moon does?
I want to know why don't we see a change in the position of stars during the night while we do see a change in the position of the moon. I've checked other online sources and some answers say that it ...
- 103
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What exactly was the Moon's "Evection Resonance"?
Ward et. al define the evection resonance of the Moon with the Earth and Sun as:
occurring when the lunar perigee precession period equals one year.
Does this simply mean that the angle formed by ...
- 15.8k
5
votes
2
answers
457
views
Tips of Crescent
Can it be shown mathematically that the line connecting tips of crescent is parallel to the North-South line and the line gives latitude of the plane ( When the Moon is sufficiently close to the ...
- 537
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
A curious relationship between lunar periods and the solar year
Earlier today I was exploring the astronomy features on WolframAlpha, when I stumbled upon an intriguing numerical relationship involving the values for the lunar synodic and sidereal months. Using ...
- 834
5
votes
2
answers
663
views
Is the boulder on the peak of Tycho Crater the core of the impactor, or is it a random rock?
There's a strikingly visible boulder sitting right at the top of the peak complex in the center of Tycho Crater on the Moon.
Is it just a coincidence that this gigantic, bright rock is sitting dead ...
- 153
5
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Is it practical to build a giant telescope in Moon? (Considering the fact that the atmosphere of moon is very rare)
China's FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope) is the largest radio telescope in the world.(This is huge!!!)
As we all know Space Telescopes are better than Earth-Based ...
- 894
5
votes
2
answers
459
views
Mountains on the moon during solar eclipse?
I ask myself the reason of why the sun in not uniform on the edge of the moon at this moment of the eclipse (cf. picture) is not unifom is because of the mountains of the moon ? Or can it due to ...
- 301
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Moons with synchronous rotation in our solar system
Are all moons in our solar system rotating synchronously around their planet? If not, what are the criteria that some do and some don't?
Many thanks for any insights!
- 153
5
votes
3
answers
288
views
Could a moon orbit an Earth size planet in such a way as to create a solar eclipse lasting for several weeks from start to finish?
Is it theoretically possible for a moon to orbit a planet (let us say Earth size, mass and solar distance) in such a way as to create a planet-wide solar eclipse lasting several weeks?
These are my ...
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why are tides high only on a full moon day?
As far as I've known, sea tides are higher on a Full moon day. And that is due to the "gravitational pull" of the moon.
But we know that moon is visible because of reflection of sun's rays. So, even ...
5
votes
1
answer
319
views
Is there a word or short phrase that denotes the apparently moving part of the lunar limb?
Between new moon and full moon, the moon's disc as viewed from the earth is bounded by a semicircular arc on its right and an arc on its left that moves to the right until at full moon it forms the ...
user31481
5
votes
2
answers
189
views
Scientific possibility of stationary moons for a writer of fiction
I tried to do some research to find an answer for this question before posting this but didn't find anything that I could sink my teeth into.
I was wondering:
if it would be possible for a planet to ...
- 51
5
votes
1
answer
235
views
Lunar orbit distance
Can anyone calculate the distance the moon travels in a single year? I can calculate it as it is close to 2.4 million km, but I need adjustments as the earth is moving and so is the Sun. So, I need ...
- 53
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
When did astronomy first discover that the stars are bigger than the moon?
We take it for granted these days that the stars are unimaginably bigger than the planets and the moons. But when you look at the sky, it does not appear this way.
The moon looks bigger and brighter ...
- 151
5
votes
2
answers
231
views
Is there an advantage to the equatorial region of the far side of the moon for a radio telescope or would any crater on the far side work?
If nearly any crater on the far side of the moon will work, and not just equatorial craters, then we could pick craters near the possible future Artemis base at the South pole which would allow easier ...
- 442
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How long until the Earth and Moon become a binary planet?
With the rate at which the moon is further receding into a higher orbit, how long until the barycentre between us and the moon leaves the earth, and going by the IAUs 2006 definition update, we become ...
- 153
5
votes
1
answer
228
views
How long does lunar opposition surge last? Are there measurements of the full Moon getting suddenly brighter?
Wikipedia's opposition surge is a short article and forwards shadow hiding and coherent backscattering as proposed mechanisms, but it doesn't really explain how much the brightness of the Moon ...
- 30.8k
5
votes
2
answers
94
views
When was the last eruption on the Moon?
The lunar mare are basins that filled up with magma over the course of the Moon's history. So there were eruptions on the surface of the Moon at some point in time. When did the last eruption happen ...
- 17.2k
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why does moon's highest altitude change during the year
I came across a question in which moon's highest altitude had to be calculated as seen from a certain latitude, also the month and the hour and the constellation in which moon would be in had to be ...
- 371
5
votes
1
answer
197
views
Why is the difference from a perfect sphere the same for the Earth and the Moon?
Wikipedia gives the following physical dimensions for the Moon:
Physical characteristics
...
- 412
5
votes
1
answer
465
views
"Lunar tropics"
The tropics is region of the Earth in which the Sun could be directly overhead. What is the corresponding region for the Moon? Is it the same or slightly larger?
I live in the UK and hence have ...
- 339