Transcript Day 11 - Ch. 5

Chapter 6: Terrestrial Planets -The Moon
Earth’s interior is revealed by seismology,
the study of earthquakes. Layers are revealed:
A layered object:
Inner core
Outer core
Mantle
Crust
Hydrosphere
Atmosphere
Magnetosphere
Earth’s Moon: the interior is not as well understood
Missing:
Hydrosphere
Atmosphere
Magnetosphere
Full Moon, Near Side
Far side of the Moon (taken by Apollo 16)
Two Faces of the Moon
Maria
Near Side
Impact Basin
Cratered
Highlands
Far Side
Apollo and Luna Landing Sites
A15
A17
L24
L20
A12 A14
A11
A16
L16
Moon, Close Up, craters, maria, and highlands
Meteoroid Impact causes craters and ejecta
Lunar Craters, big and small (microscopic, even)
Lunar Surface is blanketed in dust from small meteorites.
Lunar Tides are due to the gravity of the Moon
Solar and Lunar
effects on Tides
depend on the
relative
orientations
of the Earth,
Moon, and Sun
The tidal bulge is actually offset somewhat
from being directly underneath the Moon.
This produces a torque, a kind of twisting force on the Earth.
The tides cause the Earth to slow down and the
Moon’s orbit to increase in radius (4 cm per century).
Also, the Moon’s rotation is synchronous with its orbit.
The Moon’s
formation is
believed to be
due to a collision
of a massive
(Mars-sized)
object with the
early Earth.
Computer
simulation show
that this could
leave a moonsized satellite in
the correct orbit.
Lunar Evolution: the Moon after the early bombardment
Lunar Evolution:
the formation of the maria by volcanic eruptions
Lunar Evolution:
after 3 billion years of cratering
Large Lunar Crater (note smaller recent craters)