Concept in Definition ABC

Natural satellites of the planets

The moon is a certainly popular term since it refers to an element that although we do not touch or are close to us, we can appreciate every day just by looking at our sky.
The moons are natural satellites of the different planets, Jupiter for example has its own, however, we must say that the concept is especially reserved and associated with satelite of our planet earth, which is the only natural satellite by the way.

The only satellite of our planet

The Moon is the only natural satellite that planet Earth has, it is located at a distance of 384,400 kilometers of it, its diameter It is 3,476 kilometers long and boasts a volume of 21,860,000,000 km3.

Performance and characteristics

The Moon takes the same amount of time to turn around on itself as it does around the earth, so this is why it always shows the same face to our eyes. The precise time is 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes if we are considering the spin with respect to the stellar background

, meanwhile, if the consideration is regarding the sun will be a little more: 29 days 12 hours and 44 minutes. The last mentioned revolution It will be the one that will govern the phenomena of eclipses, lunisolar tides and the phases of the moon.

Other distinctive features of the moon are that it does not have atmosphere nor of Water in liquid form, which is why it is exposed to the action of meteorites. It also does not have its own light and uses that of the sun to reflect itself.

Moon phases

exist 8 moon phases recognizable from the ground: the one or new Moon, the two or New Moon visible, the three o Crescent quarter, the four o Crescent Gibbous Moon, the five o Full moon, the six o Waning Gibbous Moon, the seven o Last Quarter and the eight o Waning moon. The aforementioned phases are considered from the illuminated part of the satellite as it is visible to the observer, who may well be located on the earth or elsewhere.

Thus, when the Moon is located between the earth and the sun and its unlit face is oriented towards Planet Earth, it is called the New Moon. A week later, the Moon will have completed a quarter turn and will show an illuminated half face or Crescent Moon; after another week, the Moon occupies a position aligned with the sun and the Earth, therefore we will see its entire face illuminated, the famous Full Moon, which at purpose so many legends, myths and history has inspired, for example, that of the Werewolf, the man who turns into a wolf once the herself. And finally, a week after the Full Moon, the Last Quarter Moon will appear.

lunar eclipse

Around the moon there are some astronomical events of interest, such is the case of the lunar eclipse that occurs when the planet earth intervenes between the sun and the moon causing a shadow cone that obscures itself Moon. The sine quanom condition for it to occur is that these bodies are aligned with each other.
They only occur during the full moon phase and can be partial, penumbral or total: part of the moon is hidden, the moon enters the cone of darkness of the earth, the whole moon enters the cone of shadow, respectively.
They can be seen from anywhere on earth, while it is night, and can last for several hours.

The arrival of man on the Moon

Human beings were able to step on the moon for the first time in July 1969, more precisely on July 21. On the 20th, the commander of the mission known as Apollo 11, Neil Alden Armstrong, and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, arrived, among others. They sailed into space on July 16 from the United States, from the Cape Kennedy complex in Florida. Obviously these astronauts went down to posterity for this incredible achievement to step on the moon.

Other uses of the concept

Other uses of the term are to refer to a mirror and to the glass that is traditionally used in shop windows.

Themes in Luna