Moon vs. Earth: Similarities and Differences

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The Earth and Moon are very different for many reasons, but they are also very similar in some ways. Earth is a planet that orbits a star, the sun. The Moon orbits the Earth and is not a planet. Earth is an “alive” and changing planet, while the Moon is a “dead” and still.
Earth and the Moon have very different surfaces. Earth’s surface changes constantly. Movement of crust, erosion by water and wind, and living organisms all contribute to the changes. Plate tectonics cause the crust of Earth to move around and create mountains and volcanoes. The movement of water can cause re-shaping, and so can the wind when it picks up loose material, they both carve into the Earth. Living organisms change the surface a lot. They build, move and destroy things all the time. The Moon’s surface is mostly still. It doesn’t have a molten core, so there is very little tectonic activity. There is no wind, and the small amount of water is buried in polar areas. There are no living organisms to change the surface either. The only major factor in the Moon changing, is the impact of meteoroids. They form craters when they hit the surface. Lastly, Earth’s surface is very young, because it is changing constantly. The Moon’s surface is hundreds of million to billion of years old.
The two atmospheres are very different also. The Moon isn’t considered to have an atmosphere. It doesn’t have any wind, rain, snow, etc. Earth has a complex atmosphere. It consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.03% carbon dioxide and very small percentages of other elements. The atmosphere also contains water vapor. It is divided into layers, the Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Ionosphere, and the Exosphere. The weather and clouds are in the Troposphere. The O...

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...’s orbital period and rotation period is 27.322 days, which is about how many days there are in a month.
The Moon and Earth both have gravity. Their gravity is different though. Earth’s gravity is 9.78 m/s2. The Moon’s gravity is 1.622 m/s2. The Moon’s gravity is 83.3% less than Earth’s.
Earth and the Moon are also similar. Both are made of rock. Both reflect sunlight. One and the other get energy from the sun. Even though the Moon orbits earth, it still revolves around the sun, just like Earth. They also both rotate. Lastly, they are both heated by the sun.

Works Cited

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