Week 3: The Moon

Week 3: The Moon 

1. What did you do in the lab today?

    Today in week 3 lab, we learned about the moon phases and how often the moon rotates and revolves. We learned that we only see one side of the moon because of a phenomenon called tidal locking. Additionally, we learned that even though we only see one side of the moon, it still rotates. Towards the end of class, we did an activity whose purpose was to learn about the surface of the moon. We used cocoa powder layered with flour on top, and dropped a small ball into it. This demonstrated how craters are impacting the moon's surface and the different layers of the moon. By doing this, we were able to determine what the surface of the moon is like, how thick or thin it is, and how the craters are made. This activity helped me understand that the two sides of the moon look different because the depth of the crust is not the same on each side. The darker side of the moon must have a thicker crust because it has fewer craters than the front side. 

2. What was the big question?

    What have we learned about the moon's surface?

    What are the phases of the moon?  

3. What did you learn in Thursday's discussion?


4. Read the online textbook chapter 2: 

  • What did you learn?
    • The moon's origin: 
      • The moon was formed 4.5 billion years ago when a Mars-sized object collided with the early Earth. The debris from this collision formed the moon. 
    • The moon's surface: 
      • Covered in regolith, a powdery dust and rocky debris. 
      • Regolith is created by meteorite impacts over billions of years. 
      • Maria - the dark plains 
        • Early astronomers thought these were seas. 
      • The moon is heavily cratered because it has no atmosphere to protect it, and no weather (like wind) to erode craters away. 
    • The moon's structure:
      • The core is small
      • The mantle is the thick layer of silicate rock 
      • The crust is the outer layer 
        • Thinner on the near side
    • More moon characteristics: 
      • The moon is about 1/4 the size of Earth. 
      • Climate: 
        • The temperature can range from extremely hot to extremely cold since there is no atmosphere to protect it from the Sun's heat or insulate the surface. 
      • Gravity: 
        • The moon has 1/6 of the gravity of Earth.
        • If you weigh 60lbs on Earth, you will weigh 10lbs on the Moon.
        • The moon's gravity causes tides in Earth's oceans.
          • The gravitational pull of the moon causes water to bulge out on the sides closest to the moon and farthest, which creates high tides. 
  • What was most helpful?
    I found it very helpful to learn more about the characteristics of the Moon. Most of them were new to me, so I found it very interesting to read about. Learning these characteristics helped me understand the moon's surface and its craters better. 
  • What do you need more information on?
    I would like to know more about how the moon's gravitational pull is creating tidal waves. This is confusing to me since the moon doesn't have gravity itself. 

5. What questions, concerns, and/or comments do you have? 

    Is the surface of the moon that we see thinner because the sun is causing it to deteriorate? 



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