What do you know about the moon? Mystical influence of the moon

The Moon (lat. Luna) is the only natural satellite of the Earth. It is the second brightest object in the earth's sky after the Sun and the fifth largest natural satellite in the solar system. The mistress of the night sky has always attracted human attention. Numerous signs, rituals, and beliefs of people are associated with it. Many lunar secrets have already been revealed. However, interesting facts about the Moon, which scientists cannot unambiguously explain, continue to excite people’s minds.

The moon appeared as a result of a collision. Scientists believe that the Moon was formed from debris from the Earth and a space object the size of Mars after their collision.

2. 206 thousand 264 Moons

In order for it to be as light at night as during the day, about three hundred thousand moons would be needed, and 206 thousand 264 moons would have to be in the full moon phase.

3. People always see the same side of the moon

People always see the same side of the Moon. The Earth's gravitational field slows down the Moon's rotation around its axis. Therefore, the rotation of the Moon around its axis occurs in the same time as its rotation around the Earth.

4. The far side of the moon

The far side of the Moon is more mountainous compared to the one visible from Earth. This is explained by the force of gravity of the Earth, which has led to a thinner crust on the side facing our planet.

5. Moon Tree Seeds

More than 400 trees growing on Earth were brought from the Moon. The seeds of these trees were taken by the crew of Apollo 14 in 1971, orbited the Moon and returned to Earth.

6. Asteroid Cruithney

The Earth may have other natural satellites. The Cruithney asteroid moves in orbital resonance with the Earth and completes a full revolution around the planet every 770 years.

7. Craters on the surface of the Moon

Craters on the surface of the Moon were left by meteorites 4.1 - 3.8 billion years ago. They are still visible only because, geologically, the Moon is not as active as the Earth.

8. There is water on the moon

There is water on the moon. The Earth satellite has no atmosphere, but does have frozen water in shadowed craters and beneath the soil surface.

9. The moon is not a perfect ball

The moon is not actually a perfect sphere. It is rather egg-shaped due to the influence of Earth's gravity. In addition, its center of mass is not in the center of the cosmic body, but approximately two kilometers away from the center.

10. Crater named...

The lunar craters were first named after famous scientists, artists and explorers, and later after the names of American and Russian cosmonauts.

11. Moonquakes

On the Earth's satellite there are... moonquakes. They are caused by the gravitational influence of the Earth. Their epicenter is located several kilometers below the surface of the Moon.

12. Exosphere

The moon has an atmosphere called the exosphere. It consists of helium, neon and argon.

13. Dancing Dust

There is dancing dust on the Moon. It hovers above the surface of the Moon (more intensely at sunrise or sunset). Dust particles rise upward due to electromagnetic forces.

The Earth's satellite is more like a planet. The Earth and Moon are a double planet system, similar to the Pluto + Charon system.

15. The moon causes the tides on Earth

The moon causes the ebb and flow of the tides on Earth. The Moon's gravitational pull affects our planet's oceans. The highest tides occur during a full or new moon.

16. The Moon is moving away from the Earth

The Moon is moving further and further away from the Earth. Initially, the Earth's satellite was 22,000 kilometers from its surface, and now it is almost 400,000 kilometers away.

The Moon is the closest cosmic body to us, the most visible object in the night sky. It is not surprising that it is also the most studied and the only one on whose surface a human foot has stepped. However, it cannot be said that everything is known about the Moon. She still hasn't revealed some of her secrets. Some interesting facts about the Moon have a generally accepted explanation, but periodically receive an alternative interpretation.

Characteristics of the night light

The Moon is the only satellite of our planet. It makes one revolution around the Earth in approximately 27.32 days. In this case, the satellite’s orbit has a somewhat elongated shape. The average distance that separates us from the night star is just under 400 thousand kilometers. The most significant facts about the Moon for children are, perhaps, the change of phases and the fact that you can fly to it. Adult amateur astronomers of all times and peoples were interested in its origin, its influence on the Earth’s weather and on the destinies of people.

Legends of the Moon

The Earth's satellite is the hero of many myths. Some of them explain the appearance of the Moon in the sky, others tell what caused the change of phases. Almost all peoples, among others, honored the personification of the Moon, god or goddess. In Greek mythology, it was primarily Selene, whose name was later given to the science that studies the Earth’s satellite (selenology).

Legends about the Moon, which explained why it was sometimes full and sometimes turned into a month, were often associated with tragic events in the life of the luminary. Among the Balts, the formidable thunder god Perkunas punished the Moon for betraying the beautiful Sun by cutting her into pieces. In Siberia, there is a well-known myth about how the night luminary descended to Earth and was caught by an evil witch. The sun tried to snatch the moon from the witch's hands, but as a result she was torn into two parts.

There were also numerous stories that explained the clearly visible spots on the face of the star. For some peoples this is a man exiled as punishment, for others it is a beast living on the moon.

Amazing coincidence

Many legends explain solar eclipses. Today, when listing interesting facts about the Moon, its role in this phenomenon is often omitted as generally known. However, it is the eclipse that clearly demonstrates one curious point: the combination of the distance from the Sun to the Moon and from the night luminary to the Earth and the size of the Moon seem to be specially selected. If the incarnation of the ancient Greek Selene was located a little further or closer, or if its size were different, we would either not know what a total eclipse is, or we would not have the opportunity to admire the solar corona. The moon “hangs” in such a way that the daylight is periodically completely placed behind it, showing only a beautiful frame.

Moreover, the numerical values of the parameters are also surprising: the distance from the Earth to the Moon is, as already noted, approximately 400 thousand kilometers, and this is 400 times less than to the Sun, and the night star itself is also 400 times smaller than the day star. These facts about the Moon are often used as evidence for the theory of its artificial origin.

Hypothesis

A similar opinion was expressed by Mikhail Vasin and Soviet scientists in the 60s of the last century. They supported their theory with information that all the craters, which cover the surface of the satellite in great numbers, have approximately the same depth, regardless of their area - no more than three kilometers. This may be due to the presence of a solid structure located under the surface of the night star.

Today, in various articles on the Internet, the hypothesis about the artificial origin of the satellite is included in a list called “Secret Facts about the Moon.” However, the theory that assumes an “earthly beginning” is currently considered generally accepted. According to it, approximately 4.5 billion years ago our planet collided with a space object similar in size to Mars. He knocked out a piece of matter, which later became a satellite. However, the final point has not yet been made in the dispute: the available information is not yet enough to confidently say that everything happened in this way.

Multicolored

One of the American astronauts, viewing the Moon for the first time from the window of a spaceship, compared its surface to sand on a dirty beach. From Earth, the satellite doesn't look so sad. Interesting facts about the Moon are also related to its visible color.

Most of the time the month is ash-gray, but history knows of cases when a blue Moon appeared in the sky. Color is associated with the appearance of an additional “filter” that prevents the passage of light rays. This is possible during extensive fires or volcanic eruptions. The particles, which are large compared to air molecules, allow the scattering of light waves whose length corresponds to the blue color and its shades. Such a case was recorded in 1950, when, as a result of a fire in the peatlands, a blue Moon hung over Albert (a province in Canada).

Two full moons

The expression “blue moon” has another meaning. Since the night star goes through all its phases in less than 28 days, sometimes there are two full moons in one month. The second was called the “blue moon”. The phenomenon occurs slightly less frequently than once every 2.72 years. The closest one will be in July 2015: the first full moon is on the 2nd, and the blue moon is on the 31st.

Bloody

The most interesting things about the Moon and its color in the coming year can be learned by looking at the sky on April 4 and September 28. The blood moon will rise these days. The satellite acquires such an ominous hue due to the refraction of the Sun’s rays in the Earth’s atmosphere. The glow of the Moon, in principle, always represents the reflected radiation of the daylight. The difference these days is that the full moon coincides with sunset or sunrise. Red is the very color in which the daylight appears before us, sinking below the horizon or rising above it.

Double reflected

Another phenomenon is associated with the emitted light, not uncommon, but interesting. Everyone has known about the Moon since childhood: it sequentially goes through 4 phases and only in one of them, on the full moon, can you admire the completely illuminated satellite. However, it also happens that a month hangs in the sky, and sometimes the entire disk is visible and quite clearly. This is the so-called ashen light of the Moon. The phenomenon occurs either some time before the new moon or shortly after it. The satellite, illuminated only in a small part of itself, is nevertheless completely visible, since part of the sunlight is first scattered in the earth's atmosphere, then falls on the surface of the Moon, and then is reflected again on our planet.

Based on the characteristics of the satellite’s ashen light, forecasts are made about changes in weather conditions. The possibility of predictions exists due to the connection of the optical phenomenon with the nature of cloudiness in that part of the Earth that is currently illuminated by the Sun. In European Russia, the bright ashen light, which results from the reflection of rays from cyclonic activity in the Atlantic, heralds precipitation in about a week.

Farther and farther

Interesting facts about the Moon are not limited to optical phenomena. Another interesting point is connected with its distance from Earth. The satellite is getting further and further from our planet every year. Over twelve months, the distance increases by 4 cm. The removal of the satellite is a consequence of the gravitational-tidal interaction between it and our planet. The Moon is known to cause tides on Earth, not only on the water, but also in the crust, less noticeable in amplitude, but with a much longer wavelength. They, in turn, influence the satellite: due to some features of our planet around its axis, tidal waves are somewhat ahead of the satellite. As a result, everything contained in such waves affects the movement of the satellite, attracting it and causing it to orbit the planet faster. This is the reason for the change in its distance from the Earth.

Bright memory

There was a time when scientists, due to a lack of data, had little understanding. The unknown facts of that period ceased to be a secret thanks to the successful flights of spacecraft with astronauts on board. However, those studying the satellite were not always lucky. Some of the astronauts died during flight preparations. A tiny monument, only 8 cm high, was erected to him on the Moon. Attached to it is a list of all the astronauts who gave their lives in the name of science.

Eternity

Both this monument and the traces of the astronauts who walked on the surface of the Moon, as well as a photo of relatives left by one of the crew members, will remain intact on the Moon for many centuries. The satellite of our planet has no atmosphere, there is no wind and water. Nothing can cause traces of human presence to quickly turn to dust.

Near future

NASA is making ambitious plans to develop the satellite. In 2010, the Avatar project appeared, which involved the creation of special robots equipped with a human telepresence function. If the project is implemented, scientists will not need to fly to the Moon. To study its features, it will be enough to put on a special remote presence suit, and all the necessary manipulations will be performed by a robot delivered to the satellite.

View of the Earth

The moon always faces us with the same side. The reason for this is the synchronization of the satellite's orbital movement and its rotation around the Earth. One of the most memorable sights that American astronauts saw when they set foot on the surface of the Moon was the view of Earth. Our planet occupies a significant part of the satellite sky. Moreover, the Earth hangs motionless, always in the same place, but first one side or the other is visible. Over time, as a result of the same gravitational-tidal interaction, the rotation of our planet around its axis is synchronized with the movement of the Moon in its orbit. The satellite will “freeze”, stop moving across the sky, and the Earth will “look” at it with only one side. At the same time, the distance separating the two cosmic bodies will stop increasing.

These are 10 interesting facts about the Moon. The list, however, is not exhausted by them. The renewed interest in the satellite in recent years will bear fruit, and the already existing facts about the Moon, partially mentioned in the article, will be replenished.

It is likely that one of them will be a base on the Moon, which is planned to be created for the development of mineral resources, observation of earthly processes and, of course, the satellite itself.

The mistress of the night sky has always attracted human attention. Numerous signs, rituals, and beliefs of people are associated with it. Many lunar secrets have already been revealed. However, interesting facts about the Moon, which scientists cannot unambiguously explain, continue to excite people’s minds.

For the first time, areas on the Moon began to be sold by the American company The Lunar Embassy, founded by Dennis Hope, at a price of $20 per acre (approximately 4046 sq.m.). This American, having studied the UN Convention on Outer Space, concluded that it does not contain a single instruction banning the ownership of stars and planets by private individuals. In 1980 he proclaimed himself the owner of the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Io, Venus and began trading in “star” areas.
Christopher Columbus, during his 4th expedition, used a total lunar eclipse to save his crew from starvation. It happened in America on February 29. The Indians of Jamaica, where the travelers were forced to spend a year, over time began to supply them with provisions worse. To frighten the aborigines, on the day of the eclipse, Columbus announced to them the wrath of the gods for their negligence and went to the ship’s cabin “to pray for forgiveness.” At the end of the eclipse, he announced that the Indians were forgiven. Food supplies have been resumed.
The only person buried on the Moon is the famous American astronomer and geologist Eugene Shoemaker. Health problems prevented him from making interplanetary flights. After his death, his ashes were transported in a capsule by the Lunar Prospector interplanetary research station to the Moon in 1998.
Due to the low gravity on the Earth's satellite, fine and hard lunar dust with the smell of gunpowder can penetrate everywhere. In astronauts it caused symptoms similar to hay fever. Penetrating into spacesuits and shoes, it significantly damaged them.
The bloody "queen of the night" occurs during a total lunar eclipse. During this period, the Earth is on the same line between the Moon and the Sun. Light waves of the red spectrum (as the longest) of sunlight, refracted in the earth's atmosphere, give the “night sun” a crimson hue.
The night star does not have its own magnetic field. However, the stones brought by the astronauts nevertheless have magnetic properties. Where does this paradox come from? Scientists put forward 2 theories about this: the magnetic field disappeared due to the movement of the iron core of the Moon and its collision with meteorites.
There are moonquakes on the moon, however, compared to earthly ones, they are very weak. Their maximum rating was 5.5 points on the Richter scale. The causes of lunar “earthquakes” have not yet been clarified.
The “Fallen Astronaut” monument, measuring only 8 cm (by Paul Van Heijdonk), was erected on August 1, 1971. at the landing site of the Apollo 15 crew. The plaque next to it contains the names of 14 fallen space explorers. Among them is Yu. Gagarin.
A "blue moon" is the second full moon in a calendar month.. It is observed once every 2.7154 years. The name of this event is determined not only by the color of the night star, but also by the translation of the English idiom “once in a Blue Moon”. In the Russian version, this corresponds to “after the rain on Thursday” (not soon or never).
The difference in daily temperatures on the Moon ranges from -100°С to +160°С. On Earth, the record daily temperature drop occurred on January 23, 1916 in America (Montana): from +6.7 to -48.8 degrees Celsius.
It became possible to see the far side of the earth's satellite only after October 7, 1959. On this day, the Soviet space station Luna 3 took its first photograph.
Dark spots on the surface of the Moon that can be seen from Earth with the naked eye are called maria.. They are lowlands, the bottom of which is filled with dark solidified lava. There is no water in them. The first time a person set foot on the Moon was on the territory of the Sea of Tranquility on July 21, 1969.
There are many craters on the moon. The giant among them is Hertzsprung, reaching a diameter of 591 km. It is located on the dark side of the Moon, so it is not visible from Earth. On the visible side of the Moon, the largest crater belongs to the Bayi crater (287 km).
Where is the “far away kingdom, thirtieth state” familiar from children’s fairy tales located?? By simple calculations we get 3*9=27, 3*10=30. The first number is the sidereal period of the Moon's revolution around the Earth. 30 days is its synodic period (relative to the Sun).
The Moon is moving away from the Earth by 4 cm per year. As a result, its orbit is not a circle, but a smoothly increasing spiral.

The moon has haunted human minds since the beginning of time. And even today, in the era of progress, you can find many outlandish stories and statements about the Moon on the Internet. They range from fantastical conspiracy theories to truly strange anomalies that scientists cannot yet explain.

#1 Size and orbit are perfect

There have been several total eclipses of the Sun by the Moon over the past few years. In fact, the fact that people can observe such a phenomenon is a real miracle. It has long been known that the Moon is the only satellite that allows one to observe a total eclipse from the surface of the planet. In the case of the Earth, this all has to do with the relative sizes of the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth's distance from them. The Moon is about one-quarter the size of Earth. And now for the weird stuff.

The diameter of the Moon is approximately 400 times smaller than the diameter of the Sun. But the Moon is also 400 times closer to Earth than the Sun. Also, the Moon has a perfect circular orbit around the Earth, unlike all other known satellites. This creates the impression that the Moon and the Sun are the same size in the sky. Although, most likely, this is a coincidence, its chance is several million to one. Conspiracy theorists never tire of proving that the reason for this is simple: the Moon is an “artificial object”, and its dimensions and orbit are precisely calibrated.

#2 Hollow

Carl Sagan stated in his book Intelligent Life in the Universe in 1966 that a planet's natural satellite could not be hollow. Most agreed with him. So scientists were shocked when seismic equipment on the Moon detected significant reverberations on November 20, 1969, after the Apollo 12 lunar module landed on the lunar surface. Not only did the moon “ring like a bell,” it did so for over an hour. If you believe the data, this suggests that the Moon is hollow.

During the next mission, the reverberation was measured again. This time the effect was even greater, and the “ringing” lasted more than three hours. Despite speculation that the Moon may indeed be hollow, based on NASA's own experiments, the results were largely suppressed by NASA in subsequent years.

#3 Strange craters

The Moon is simply dotted with craters that formed over the billions of years of its existence. Oddly enough, these craters are the same in depth. According to what scientists know today, these craters should vary greatly in depth, but on the Moon this is not the case. Most agree that this is simply an anomaly, but some argue that the Moon is artificial or hollow and consider these craters to be proof of their theory.

Allegedly, under the rocky lunar surface there is an “inner shell” consisting of some kind of metallic material that can absorb impacts and distribute them evenly across the entire surface, thereby preventing the appearance of deep craters. According to some, this shell also prevents damage to whatever may lie underneath.

#4 Artificial structures

NASA says "man-made" structures on the Moon are optical illusions in most cases, and the result of blurry, low-quality images in other cases. However, enthusiastic UFO enthusiasts claim that these images are irrefutable evidence of alien and man-made structures on the Moon. Even in a couple of minutes on the Internet you can find a bunch of similar photos, some of which are quite convincing. But reliable evidence, of course, is not enough.

One of these anomalies is called "Shrapnel" and can be found in NASA photographs. In the photo you can see an artificial structure rising above the surface. The fact that it casts a shadow causes many UFO researchers to dismiss the idea of an optical illusion. Interestingly, a relatively short distance away is another alleged "Tower" structure, estimated to be around 11 kilometers tall.

#5 Artificially placed in orbit

There is no doubt that life on Earth will change dramatically without the Moon. For people it may even become impossible. The Moon stabilizes Earth's oceans and polar regions of the planet, which creates seasons that allow most areas of the planet and life on it to flourish.

However, many ancient writings appear to describe a time before the moon appeared in the Earth's skies. Some believe that the Moon is an artificial structure specifically placed in a precisely calculated orbit to stabilize conditions on Earth.

#6 Alien intelligence base

If some unknown ancient civilization purposefully placed the Moon in Earth's orbit, then the only logical assumption would be that an extraterrestrial race did it. For example, controversial researcher and author David Icke argues that the Moon is an artificial satellite that transmits signals from Saturn to our planet and creates the “matrix” that is our reality.

#7 Unique rotation

Everyone has heard about the dark side of the Moon, which people have never seen. Many people think that the Moon always faces the Earth with one side because it does not rotate. But it would be more accurate to call this part of the Moon the "far side" since the Moon actually rotates. The Moon makes a full circle around the Earth in 27.3 days, and it rotates around its axis in 27 days. This “synchronized rotation” causes one side of the Moon to always “move away” from our planet.

Again, the Moon is unique in this compared to the moons of other planets. From the point of view of conspiracy theorists, this was done on purpose so that the “dark side of the moon” would be an ideal place to create an alien base.

#8 The Real Story of the Moon

In his controversial and widely ridiculed book Letters from Andromeda, author and explorer Alex Collier claimed to have uncovered the real history of the Moon. But the way he received his information alarmed people a little - the author allegedly received “telepathic messages” from an alien who lived in the Zeneta constellation. According to Collier, the Moon was actually a huge spaceship that arrived here millions of years ago. She brought "reptilians, human-reptilian hybrids, and the first humans to set foot on Earth."

Collier claims that the Moon is empty and there are several secret entrances on the surface leading inside. Beneath the surface of the Moon there is a metallic shell that hides the remains of ancient alien bases left over from a huge war 113,000 years ago. Today these bases are occupied by a secret world government that worked together with an extraterrestrial race.

#9 Story before the Moon

Many ancient scriptures speak of a time “before the moon.” For example, Aristotle wrote about Arcadia, stating that the earth was inhabited "before there was a moon in the sky above the earth." Likewise, Apollonius of Rhodes spoke of a time “when not all the ‘balls’ were yet in heaven.”

The Chibcha tribe of Colombia also have similar oral legends that begin with the words: “In the earliest times, when the moon was not yet in the heavens.” The Zulus have legends that claim that the Moon was “pulled” from an unimaginable distance.

#10 Secret missions

Alex Collier is not the only person who claims there are bases on the Moon. There have been numerous such claims over the past two decades, often purporting to come from anonymous sources who leaked secret documents to the public. One of the recent claims of a base on the Moon was made by Dr. Michael Salla, who is working with the Chinese space agency on a manned mission to the Moon. If successful, it will be the first time humans have walked on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Salla claims the base is part of an “extraterrestrial military-industrial complex.” Even stranger are his comments that NASA actively bombed such bases as well as "ancient artifacts and objects" to conceal their existence. In addition, he stated that secret lunar exploration missions are being carried out by a "secret world government" that has entered into a secret treaty with an unknown extraterrestrial race.

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Perhaps every person has looked at the Moon at least once in his life. And even schoolchildren know certain facts about it. We have collected for our readers less well-known, but no less interesting facts about the satellite of our planet.

1. The moon was created as a result of a collision