The Moon as seen from Earth Ammonia Carbon dioxide The Moon is the planet Earth's only natural satellite. It has no formal name other than "The Moon", although in English it is occasionally called Luna (Latin for moon), or Selene, to distinguish it from the generic "moon" (natural satellites of other planets are also called moons). Its symbol is a crescent (Unicode: ☾). The terms lunar, selene/seleno-, and cynthion (from the Lunar deities Selene and Cynthia) refer to the Moon (apo ...

Including:

• Moon - The two sides
• Moon - Orbit
• Moon - Earth & Moon
• Moon - Origin and history
• Moon - Physical characteristics
• Moon - Composition
• Moon - Selenography
• Moon - Presence of water
• Moon - Magnetic field
• Moon - Atmosphere
• Moon - Eclipses
• Moon - Occultation of stars
• Moon - Observation of the Moon
• Moon - Exploration of the Moon
• Moon - Human understanding of the Moon
• Moon - Myth and folk culture
• Moon - The Moon as muse
• Moon - Astrology
• Moon - Scientific understanding
• Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon
• Moon - Legal status
• Moon - Satellites
• Moon - Surface installations
• Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia - Moon

Permanent human habitation on a planetary body other than the Earth is a central theme in science fiction. As technology has improved and concerns about the future of humanity on Earth increase, some argue that space colonization is an achievable and worthwhile goal. Because of its proximity to Earth and the early telescopic observation of familiar land forms, such as mountains and plains, the Moon has long been seen as a candidate for a possible human colony in space. However, the Apollo program, while demonstrating the feasibility of trave ...

Including:

• Colonization of the Moon - History
• Colonization of the Moon - Exploration phase
• Colonization of the Moon - Advantages and disadvantages
• Colonization of the Moon - Advantages
• Colonization of the Moon - Disadvantages
• Colonization of the Moon - Locations
• Colonization of the Moon - Polar regions
• Colonization of the Moon - Equatorial regions
• Colonization of the Moon - Far side
• Colonization of the Moon - Structure
• Colonization of the Moon - Habitat
• Colonization of the Moon - Energy
• Colonization of the Moon - Transport
• Colonization of the Moon - On the surface
• Colonization of the Moon - Surface to space
• Colonization of the Moon - Economic development
• Colonization of the Moon - Moon colonies in fiction and film
• Colonization of the Moon - Books
• Colonization of the Moon - Television
• Colonization of the Moon - Film
• Colonization of the Moon - Computer and video games

Read more here: » Colonization of the Moon: Encyclopedia - Colonization of the Moon

The Moon makes a complete orbit about the Earth approximately once every 28 days. Each hour the Moon moves relative to the stars by an amount roughly equal to its angular diameter, or by about 0.5°. The Moon differs from most satellites of other planets in that its orbit is close to the plane of the ecliptic and not in the Earth's equatorial plane. Several ways to consider a complete orbit are detailed in the table below, but the two most familiar are: the sidereal month being the time it takes to make a complete orbit with respect t ...

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Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Orbit

The notion of siting a colony on the Moon originated before the space age; Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, among others, suggested such a step. From the 1950s onwards, a number of concepts and designs have been suggested by scientists, engineers and others. Noted science author Arthur C. Clarke proposed a lunar base of inflatable modules covered in lunar dust for insulation in 1954. A spaceship, assembled in low Earth orbit, would be launched towards the Moon. It would land on Mare Imbrium, near Mons Piton, and astronauts would set up the igl ...

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Colonization of the Moon, Colonization of the Moon - History, Colonization of the Moon - Exploration phase, Colonization of the Moon - Advantages and disadvantages, Colonization of the Moon - Advantages, Colonization of the Moon - Disadvantages, Colonization of the Moon - Locations, Colonization of the Moon - Polar regions, Colonization of the Moon - Equatorial regions, Colonization of the Moon - Far side, Colonization of the Moon - Structure, Colonization of the Moon - Habitat, Colonization of the Moon - Energy, Colonization of the Moon - Transport, Colonization of the Moon - On the surface, Colonization of the Moon - Surface to space, Colonization of the Moon - Economic development, Colonization of the Moon - Moon colonies in fiction and film, Colonization of the Moon - Books, Colonization of the Moon - Television, Colonization of the Moon - Film, Colonization of the Moon - Computer and video games

Read more here: » Colonization of the Moon: Encyclopedia II - Colonization of the Moon - History

The Moon makes a complete orbit about once every 28 days. Each hour the Moon moves relative to the stars by an amount roughly equal to its angular diameter, or by about 0.5°. The Moon differs from most satellites of other planets in that its orbit is close to the plane of the ecliptic and not in the Earth's equatorial plane. Several ways to consider a complete orbit are detailed in the table below, but the two most familiar are: the sidereal month being the time it takes to make a complete orbit with respect to the stars, about 27.3 ...

See also:

Moon, Moon - The two sides, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Orbit

Moon - Tidal Effects. The tides on Earth are generated by the Moon's gravitation (see tide and tidal force for a more detailed discussion). There are two tidal bulges, one in the direction of the Moon, and one in the opposite direction (figure 1). The buildup of these bulges and their movement around the earth causes an energy loss due to friction. The energy loss decr ...

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Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Earth & Moon

Moon - Myth and folk culture. Moon - The Moon as muse. The Moon has been the subject of many works of art and literature and the inspiration for countless others. Moon - Astrology. Moon - Scientific understanding. A 5,000 year old rock carving at Knowth, Ireland may represent the ...

See also:

Moon, Moon - The two sides, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Human understanding of the Moon

The inclination of the Moon's orbit makes it implausible that the Moon formed along with the Earth or was captured later; its origin is the subject of some scientific debate. Early speculation proposed that the Moon broke off from the Earth's crust due to centrifugal force, leaving an ocean basin (presumed to be the Pacific) behind as a scar. This concept requires too great an initial spin of the Earth and the presumption of a Pacific origin is not compatible with the geological standard model, the theory of plate tectonics. Others sp ...

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Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Origin and history

The far side is sometimes called the "dark side". In this case "dark" means "unknown and hidden" and not "lacking light" as implied by the name; in fact the far side receives (on average) as much sunlight as the near side, but at opposite times. Spacecraft are cut off from direct radio communication with the Earth when on the far side of the Moon. One distinguishing feature of the far side is its almost complete lack of maria (singular: ...

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Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - The two sides of the Moon

The angular diameters of the Moon and the Sun as seen from Earth overlap in their variation, so that both total and annular solar eclipses are possible. In a total eclipse, the Moon completely covers the disc of the Sun and the solar corona becomes visible to the naked eye. Since the distance between the Moon and the Earth is very slightly increasing over time, the angular diameter of the Moon is decreasing. This means that several million years ago the Moon always completely covered the Sun on solar eclipses so that no annular eclipses occurred. Likewise, in several million years the Moon will no longer cover the Sun completely ...

See also:

Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Eclipses

Though several flags of the Soviet Union and the United States have been symbolically planted on the moon, the Russian and U.S. governments make no claims to any part of the Moon's surface. Russia and the U.S. are party to the Outer Space Treaty, which places the Moon under the same jurisdiction as international waters (res communis). This treaty also restricts use of the Moon to peaceful purposes, explicitly banning weapons of mass destruction (including nuclear weapons) and military installations of any kind. A second treaty, the Moon Trea ...

See also:

Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Legal status

Moon colonies are found in many science fiction novels, short stories and films. Not all have the Moon colony itself as central to the plot. Here are some notable examples: Colonization of the Moon - Books. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, a classic science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, tells the story of a lunar rebellion against control by Earth-based governments. The short story People Came From Earth by Stephen Baxter. It can be found in The Year's Best Science Ficti ...

See also:

Colonization of the Moon, Colonization of the Moon - History, Colonization of the Moon - Exploration phase, Colonization of the Moon - Advantages and disadvantages, Colonization of the Moon - Advantages, Colonization of the Moon - Disadvantages, Colonization of the Moon - Locations, Colonization of the Moon - Polar regions, Colonization of the Moon - Equatorial regions, Colonization of the Moon - Far side, Colonization of the Moon - Structure, Colonization of the Moon - Habitat, Colonization of the Moon - Energy, Colonization of the Moon - Transport, Colonization of the Moon - On the surface, Colonization of the Moon - Surface to space, Colonization of the Moon - Economic development, Colonization of the Moon - Moon colonies in fiction and film, Colonization of the Moon - Books, Colonization of the Moon - Television, Colonization of the Moon - Film, Colonization of the Moon - Computer and video games

Read more here: » Colonization of the Moon: Encyclopedia II - Colonization of the Moon - Moon colonies in fiction and film

Moon - Myth and folk culture. Main article: Moon (mythology) Moon - The Moon as muse. Main article: Moon in art and literature The Moon has been the subject of many works of art and literature and the inspiration for countless others. Moon - Astrology. Main article: Moon (astrology) Moon - Scientific understanding. A 5,000 year old rock carving at Knowth, Ireland may represent the ...

See also:

Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Human understanding of the Moon

The first leap in Lunar observation was caused by the invention of the telescope. Especially Galileo Galilei made good use of this new instrument and observed mountains and craters on the Moon's surface. The Cold War-inspired space race between the Soviet Union and the United States of America led to an acceleration. What was the next big step depends on the political viewpoint: In the US (and the West in general) the landing of the first humans on the moon in 1969 is seen as a culmination, indeed of the space race in general. On the ...

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Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Exploration of the Moon

During the year, the Moon occults - or passes over and hides for a period of time - stars and planets. Because the Moon is close to Earth, occultations of stars are not visible everywhere, where the Moon is at occultation time over the horizon. Because of the moving nodes of the Moon, in each years other stars are occulted. The contact times can be used for the validation of the theory of lunar orbit. ...

See also:

Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Occultation of stars

During the brightest full moons, the Moon can have an apparent magnitude of about −12.6. For comparison, the Sun has an apparent magnitude of −26.8. The Moon appears larger when close to the horizon. This is a purely psychological effect (see Moon illusion). The angular diameter of the Moon from Earth is about one half of one degree, and is actually about 1.5% smaller when the Moon is near the horizon than when it is high in the sky (beca ...

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Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Observation of the Moon

Moon - Composition. More than 4.5 billion years ago, the surface of the Moon was a liquid magma ocean. Scientists think that one component of lunar rocks, KREEP (K-potassium, Rare Earth Elements, and P-phosphorus), represents the last chemical remnant of that magma ocean. KREEP is actually a composite of what scientists term "incompatible elements": those which cannot fit into a crystal structure and thus were left behind, floating to the surface of the magma. For researchers, KREEP is a convenient tracer, useful ...

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Moon, Moon - The two sides of the Moon, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Tidal Effects, Moon - Double-planet hypotheses, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Physical characteristics

Colonization of the Moon - On the surface. Lunar colonists will want the ability to move over long distances, to transport cargo and people to and from modules and spacecraft, and to be able to carry out scientific study of a larger area of the lunar surface for long periods of time. Proposed concepts include a variety of vehicle designs, from small open rovers to large pressurised modules with lab ...

See also:

Colonization of the Moon, Colonization of the Moon - History, Colonization of the Moon - Exploration phase, Colonization of the Moon - Advantages and disadvantages, Colonization of the Moon - Advantages, Colonization of the Moon - Disadvantages, Colonization of the Moon - Locations, Colonization of the Moon - Polar regions, Colonization of the Moon - Equatorial regions, Colonization of the Moon - Far side, Colonization of the Moon - Structure, Colonization of the Moon - Habitat, Colonization of the Moon - Energy, Colonization of the Moon - Transport, Colonization of the Moon - On the surface, Colonization of the Moon - Surface to space, Colonization of the Moon - Economic development, Colonization of the Moon - Moon colonies in fiction and film, Colonization of the Moon - Books, Colonization of the Moon - Television, Colonization of the Moon - Film, Colonization of the Moon - Computer and video games

Read more here: » Colonization of the Moon: Encyclopedia II - Colonization of the Moon - Transport

The angular diameters of the Moon and the Sun as seen from Earth overlap in their variation, so that both total and annular solar eclipses are possible. In a total eclipse, the Moon completely covers the disc of the Sun and the solar corona becomes visible to the naked eye. Since the distance between the Moon and the Earth is very slightly increasing over time, the angular diameter of the Moon is decreasing. This means that several million years ago the Moon always completely covered the Sun on solar eclipses so that no annular eclipses occurred. Likewise, in several million years the Moon will no longer cover the Sun completely ...

See also:

Moon, Moon - The two sides, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Eclipses

During the year, the moon occults sometimes stars and planets. Because the moon is close to the earth, occultations of stars are not visible everywhere, where the moon is at occultation time over the horizon. Because of the moving nodes of the moon, in each years other stars are occulted. Occultation of stars by the moon can be used for determining the diametre of the stars. The contact dates can be used for ...

See also:

Moon, Moon - The two sides, Moon - Orbit, Moon - Earth & Moon, Moon - Origin and history, Moon - Physical characteristics, Moon - Composition, Moon - Selenography, Moon - Presence of water, Moon - Magnetic field, Moon - Atmosphere, Moon - Eclipses, Moon - Occultation of stars, Moon - Observation of the Moon, Moon - Exploration of the Moon, Moon - Human understanding of the Moon, Moon - Myth and folk culture, Moon - The Moon as muse, Moon - Astrology, Moon - Scientific understanding, Moon - Meteor impact on the Moon, Moon - Legal status, Moon - Satellites, Moon - Surface installations, Moon - Lunar location listings

Read more here: » Moon: Encyclopedia II - Moon - Occultation of stars