An image of the moon taken by Apollo 10 astronauts. Image courtesy of NASA.For those of you that are having a little trouble following all of the big words and how complicated I might be, this post is for you!!
The Earth's one natural satellite, ME, is more than one quarter the size of Earth itself (3,474 km diameter). Because of its smaller size, my gravity is one-sixth of the Earth's gravity!
While there are only two basic types of regions on my surface, there are many interesting surface features such as craters, mountain ranges, and lava plains.
The structure of my interior is more difficult to study. The Moon's top layer is a rocky solid, perhaps 800 km thick. Beneath this layer is a partially molten zone. Although it is not know for sure I may have a small iron core, even though I have no magnetic field.
By studying my surface and interior, geologists can learn about my history an formation.
The footprints left by Apollo astronauts will last for centuries because there is no wind on me!
The Moon does not possess any atmosphere, so there is no weather as we are used to on Earth. Because there is no atmosphere to trap heat, the temperatures here are extreme, ranging from 100° C at noon to -173° C at night!!
I do not produce its own light, but I look bright because I reflect light from the Sun. Think of the beautiful Sun as a light bulb, and me as a mirror, reflecting light from the light bulb. My 'lunar' phase changes as I orbit the Earth and different portions of its surface are illuminated by the Sun.
Hope this helps!
