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8th grade science facts about the moon
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Earth Moon Formation Theory’s and Lunar Missions That Helped Develop Them
The Earth’s moon is a rare body and there are very few similar to it. NASA has sent many manned and unmanned missions to Earth’s moon in order to answer the many questions they have about its composition and how it got there. The data that these missions yielded helped astronomers to develop these five theories:
1. The Ejected Ring Theory
2. The Colliding Planetesimals Theory
3. The Condensation Theory
4. The Capture Theory
5. The Fission Theory
The first and most widely accepted theory is the Ejected Ring theory. According to Mike Wall (2014) this theory suggests, “There was a giant impact with the newly formed Earth and a planet-sized body named Theia collided (Astronomers named the impactor Thea after the Greek titan who gave birth to Selene the moon goddess). This collision destroyed Thea and sent a ring of material into space that formed into our moon. This theory is supported by the fact that the moon has a small iron core, has been heated to extreme temperatures and the moon has a lesser density than that of Earth” (p.1.). This theory answers all our questions about the moons composition and position with a little revising from time to time.
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The next theory explains the moons position and composition through the collision of planetesimal.
The theory according to Wall (2014) suggests that, “the moon formed from debris caused by colliding planetesimal sized objects during the formation of the universe”. There is very little evidence that supports this theory and almost no reasonable explanation for the moon’s composition. This was deemed the least likely theory out of the
five. Wall (2014) states, “The Condensation Theory suggests that the moon and the earth formed side by side in the solar nebula that formed out solar system four and a half billion years ago” (p.3). This theory can explain why Earth and the moon are similar in composition and location but it cannot account for other more subtle things such as the moons small iron core or the high angular momentum or the system. The Capture Theory is another theory that attempts to explain the strange earth moon system. Nola Taylor Redd (2013) explains it in very simple terms, “A rocky body formed elsewhere in the solar system could have been drawn into orbit around the Earth. The capture theory would explain the differences in the composition of the Earth and its moon. However, such orbiters are often oddly shaped, rather than being spherical bodies like the moon. Their paths don't tend to line up with the ecliptic of their parent planet, also unlike the moon”. This theory would have to have so very rare physics to take place in order for this theory to work. The last theory is the fission theory, this theory was created by George Darwin in the nineteenth century. As Walls (2014) describes it, “material that formed the moon was ejected into space by a molten, fast-spinning Earth in the very early days of the solar system” (p.4). It is impressive that a theory that is this old is still feasible and has not been completely abandoned. Especially considering NASA has not sent anything to the moon during the time this theory was created. These theory’s that are listed above have all been crucially tweaked by the data that the astronauts collected from the many missions to the moon. Five of these missions’ revealed very crucial data and breathtaking pictures of some very prominent features on the moon some of which can be viewed from earth. These are the five missions:
As a result of the successful mission that landed the first men on the moon, called the Apollo 11 mission, many people were inspired to provide commentary on this landing. Although these texts describe unique individual purposes about this landing, they all effectively support their purposes through the use of several rhetorical devices.
Villard, Ray. "Did NASA Fake the Moon Landing?." Astronomy. July 2004: 48-53. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 08 Apr. 2014
Established Goals: ES.3 The student will investigate and understand the characteristics of Earth and the solar system. Key concepts include:
Fifteen years before Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, one of Belgium’s most successful bande dessine´e which is a specific type of artist named, Herge, sent his “hero” named Tintin to the moon in his book called Destination Moon (Beauvais,PClementine 252). In the human mind the moon can be interpreted as many different things. For example, some may think the moon is a god, Heaven, Hell, or sometimes even as a whole other Earth (Springer 252). When Herge was born at the beginning of the twenty century a piece of literature called From the Earth to the Moon written by Jules Verne’s was possible where the ideas of the moon stem from (Goddin 100). NASA is planning on sending humans back to the moon in a mission called “solid beginnings” in the future. For the past three decades the moon hasn’t been the main focus with all of the other planets such as: Venus and Mars (Lawer 612).Some people believe that the core of the moons material raised up and went to the sur...
The majority of people have a very basic understanding of Earth, the planet we reside in, let alone the seven other planets in our solar system. The eight planets surrounding our star, the Sun, are separated into two very simple categories: Jovian and Terrestrial Planets. Throughout this paper, I will be explaining the basic structure and properties of the eight planets in our solar system, along with a brief history on the discovery of our solar system and what’s to come in the future. I will also go in depth into the difference between the Jovian Planets and the Terrestrial Planets, from the basic differences to the different structures and properties.
Whether it is a full moon, a waxing crescent, or a new moon, many wonder what is out there. If there is more to the universe, than just Earth. The Moons of Jupiter are an unknown topic to many, and there are many interesting facts about it. Galileo Galilei, born in 1564 played a huge role in most of the science we know today, and it is because of him we are beginning to understand the moons of Jupiter. All these moons of Jupiter’s have their own reason as to which they stand out why. All in all, even though the moons of Jupiter’s are unknown to many, it is an important piece to connecting the puzzle in our universe.
...tioned. What caused the tidal wave is still a mystery, although many people believe it was caused by volcanic eruption, or a large meteorite crashing into the Earth’s surface.
Although Pluto was discovered in 1930, limited information on the distant planet delayed a realistic understanding of its characteristics. Today Pluto remains the only planet that has not been visited by a spacecraft, yet an increasing amount of information is unfolding about this peculiar planet. The uniqueness of Pluto's orbit, rotational relationship with its satellite, spin axis, and light variations all give the planet a certain appeal.
Under the Same Moon is a movie about a small family and their struggle of legal immigration across borders. Rosario the mother of son Carlitos has illegally immigrated to the US. The pull factors of her immigrating was the job opportunity and economic power that she could not receive in Mexico. She is forced to leave behind her 4-year-old son, Carlitos, with his grandmother. Rosario send back money she makes in the US to her family in Mexico. But when an unfortunate cause of events, Carlitos grandmother dies. Carlitos is then left to live with his aunt and uncle, which does not make him very happy. He wants to be with his mother. The only connection he has between him and his mother is that she calls him every Sunday night and tells him to
The surface of the moon is scarred with millions of impact craters. There is no atmosphere on the moon to help protect it from bombardment from potential impactors (most objects from space burn up in the Earth's atmosphere). Also, there is no erosion (wind or water) and little geologic activity to wear away these craters, so they remain unchanged until another new impact changes it. These craters range in size up to many hundreds of kilometers, but the most enormous craters have been flooded by lava, and only parts of the outline are visible. The total area of the moon is 37 930 000 square kilometers.
Comets and asteroids. They are some of the first celestial bodies that humans observed and truly thought about. From ancient cultures interpreting these near-Earth objects as signs of disaster, to 18th century Europeans studying their paths, to even the extinction of the dinosaurs, comets and asteroids have always been prevalent in the majority of Earth’s history. These objects have intrigued the human race for generations, and continue to do so today. These similar subjects of fascination have many unique and interesting characteristics and a rich history with Earth.
In 1609, Galileo Galilei, using “spyglass” which allowed one to see things closer than they appeared, made an early version of the telescope. With it, he observed the skies in a way no one had before. He discovered the moon isn’t perfectly globular, it has craters, the Sun has sunspots, Venus orbits the Sun (contrary to widespread belief in his time), and then he observed four “stars” around Jupiter (“Our Solar System”). Within days, he realized that these objects were not stars, they were moons. Io, Ganymede, Castillo, and Europa are known as the Galilean Moons or Satellites, collectively. During the 19th century, the first measurable physical studies of these moons became achievable when Simon de Laplace derived the satellite masses from their shared gravitational perturbations and afterward, other workers used a new generation of telescopes to measure the mass of these moons. The data collected showed that the density declined from the inner to the outer satellites. According to Adam Showman, “More recent observations of water ice on the surfaces of the outer three moons led to the inference that the satellite compositions range from mostly silicate rock at Io to 60% silicate rock and 40% volatile ices (by mass) at Ganymede and Callisto” ( 77). The Voyager flybys of Jupiter in 1979 exposed indication of extensive geological activity like Europa's fractured terrains, which probably result from tidal heating and bending...
Our sun is the central pivot point to which or entire planet and solar system is built around. With out it all life on our planet would cease to exist. Within this paper we will explore how our Sun and solar system formed and came to resemble what we see today.
There are five basic theories in the formation of our moon. The first is the "fission theory" which states that the moon was once a part of earth, but separated a long time ago. The second theory is called the "capture theory". This theory is says that the moon formed somewhere else, and was "captured" by earths gravitational pull. The third theory is called the "condensation theory" this theory states that the moon and earth were condemned together from the original nebula that formed our solar system. The fourth theory called the "Colliding Planetesimals Theory" states that the interaction between the earth orbiting the sun, and the sun orbiting planetesimals, which are large Astroid like rocks, led to the breakup and formation of our moon from the debris of these planetesimals. The fifth and final theory is called ...
...lieve that millions of years ago, a piece of rock as big as Mars hit the Earth, and the collision blasted a huge amount of rock into space, and the shattered pieces of rock went into orbit around the Earth. Over millions of years, the rocks clumped together to form the moon, and now it is not the pieces of rock that orbit the Earth, but the moon itself. Scientists, Native Americans, and many other people have their theories of how the moon became, but none have been proven. Scientists have studied the moon for many years, and have proven many theories, but not this one.