Many children, and some adults, are interested in the question, why does the moon shine? After all, this is not a star, it does not have a burning surface, it is a completely ordinary dense planet, and it does not have a high phosphorus content. What's the matter?
There used to be many different points of view. For example, the early Christians never asked the question “why does the moon glow.” Even on the first pages of the Bible it is said that God created the Sun to illuminate the day (daylight), and the Moon to disperse the darkness of the night (nightlight).
A little earlier, in the pre-Christian period, pagans considered the Earth’s satellite to be the patron goddess of the night. Even now in literature you can sometimes read about ghostly moonlight.
It is human nature to believe in miracles! What is its reason, since it is so different from the solar or artificial one we are all used to? Why does the moon glow?
In fact, the answer to the question “why does the moon glow” is very simple
The Moon is the natural and only satellite of the Earth, rotating both around it and around its own axis, and this happens over the same period of time, so the Moon is always turned to us with one side, which is where the expression “far side” comes from Moon."
The moon itself does not have the property of glowing, but why does the moon glow? It can only reflect sunlight or the light of the Sun reflected by the Earth onto the Moon. It often happens that the Earth blocks, completely or partially, the access of light to the Moon from the Sun; it is then that we see the waxing and waning Moon, that is, only part of it or not see it at all, as on a moonless night.
Very sharp temperature changes occur on the Moon, due to the lack of its own atmosphere, such as the Earth has and protects us from direct exposure to Sunlight and without which life would not be able to exist on Earth.
A day on the Moon lasts 14 days, which is why the Moon glows on these days, and during this time the Sun heats the surface of the Moon to more than 100 degrees Celsius, the next 14 days comes Moonlight, then the Sun does not hit the surface of the Moon and it cools down to - 200 degrees Celsius, heat cannot be retained on the surface of the Moon, since there are no atmospheric layers to stabilize temperature changes.
The Moon, unlike the Sun or other large stars, does not have its own light source, but is capable of reflecting other people's solar rays. This is exactly how scientists around the world explain the glow of the Moon.
The Moon is capable of reflecting the light of the largest star - the Sun. As everyone knows, The moon is divided into light and dark sides. The latter can never be seen, since it always remains dark. It can only be seen thanks to photographs taken by space satellites.
The bright side of the Moon is a reflection of the rays of the Sun, which account for only about 7% of sunlight. The population of the Earth can see different lunar phases, and, accordingly, different sizes of the Moon at different times of the year. This is due to the rotation of the Moon around the Earth, as well as changes in the angles of incidence of solar rays between the three components - the Earth, the Sun and the Moon.
According to astronomers, the Earth's satellite does not have the ability to produce light on its own. We can only see the part of the Moon illuminated by the Sun, which is not covered by the shadow of the Earth.
Another interesting fact is that the planets are positioned in such a way that sometimes total solar eclipses of both the Sun and Moon occur.
On a note!
- The most famous satellite of our planet appeared as a result of the collision of debris from the Earth and a cosmic body with the dimensions of Mars.
- The far side of the Moon, which is not visible from Earth, is characterized by a mountainous surface. That side of the satellite, which is turned towards our planet, was affected by gravity, which led to the appearance of a thinner crust.
- The Moon is not the only natural satellite of the Earth. For example, the asteroid Cruitney moves in orbital resonance with our planet, and circles it in 770 years.
- The spots we see on the Moon are craters. They appeared as a result of a meteor shower that occurred approximately 4.1-3.8 billion years ago.
- Frozen water has been discovered beneath the surface of the lunar soil, in the shadowed craters of our planet's satellite.
- The Moon's atmosphere consists of argon, not she And helium.
- The shape of the Earth's satellite is not spherical, but egg-shaped. This is due to the gravitational fields of the Earth, as well as the fact that the bulk of the Moon’s masses are located not in the center, but 2 km from it.
- Scientists have found that the main satellite is gradually moving away from our planet. Previously, the distance between the Earth and the Moon was 22 thousand km. Today this figure has increased to 400 thousand km.
- The Moon is characterized by dramatic temperature fluctuations. In the area of the satellite's equator, temperatures can range from -173 degrees at night to +127 degrees during the day.
- A day on the Moon is equal to 29.5 days on Earth. It is during this time that the Sun crosses the lunar horizon.
Now that man has carefully explored the surface of the Moon, he has learned a lot of interesting things about it. But man knew the fact that there is no life on the Moon long before he reached the Moon.
The Moon has no atmosphere. Astronomers have established this because there is no twilight or sunset on the Moon. On Earth, night comes gradually because the air reflects the sun's rays even after sunset. On the Moon it is completely different: one moment it was light, and at one moment it was dark. The absence of an atmosphere means that the Moon is not protected from any solar radiation. The sun emits heat, light and radio waves. Life on Earth depends on this heat and light.
But the Sun also emits harmful radiation. The earth's atmosphere protects us from it. And on the Moon there is no atmosphere that could absorb this harmful radiation. And all the sun's rays, beneficial and harmful, safely reach the surface of the Moon.
Because there is no atmosphere, the surface of the Moon is either excessively hot or extremely cold. The Moon rotates, and the side facing the Sun becomes very hot. Temperatures can reach over 150 degrees Celsius. This is hot boiling water. A hot lunar day lasts two weeks.
It is followed by night, which also lasts two weeks. At night the temperature drops to 125 degrees below zero. This is twice colder than the temperature observed at the North Pole.
Under such conditions, none of the life forms known on Earth can exist.
The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth, located at a distance of about 384,000 km (239,000 miles). The Moon is much lighter and smaller than the Earth. It takes 29 days to orbit the Earth. The Moon does not emit its own light, but only reflects the light of the Sun. As the Moon travels around the Earth, it appears to us in different forms. We call these different shapes the phases of the moon. They are obtained as a result of the fact that, as the Earth rotates around the Sun, it shades the Moon in different ways. The moon reflects different amounts of light depending on this.
The same side of the Moon always faces the Earth. Until 1959, when the Soviet Luna 3 satellite photographed the far side of the Moon, we did not know what its other hemisphere looked like.
The moon is made of solid rock. Thousands of craters are visible on its surface. There are vast, flat, dusty plains and high mountains. It is possible that the craters were formed from bubbles that burst in the lunar crust as a result of volcanic activity millions of years ago. In orbit around the Earth, the Moon is held by the force of gravity. The gravity on the Moon is 6 times less than on Earth. From time to time, the water of the Earth's oceans rushes towards the Moon. This causes hot flashes.
Now that people have already visited the Moon, they have a concrete idea of the Earth’s satellite and, accordingly, can plan the construction of stations on this planet. Of course, living conditions there are quite difficult. The surface of the Moon is literally pitted with huge craters, there are also quite high mountains, and large seas of frozen volcanic lava have been discovered. Once upon a time there were volcanic eruptions on the Moon, but today they are no longer active. The seas and the inner surface of the craters are covered with a thick layer of dust. There is no air, no water, no animals, no plants. Not a sound can be heard on the Moon, since sounds travel thanks to air molecules. Therefore, people need a special spacesuit to move on the Moon. Human habitations on the Moon must be absolutely sealed, like bathyscaphes for underwater research. Everything that is necessary to maintain life, right down to the air itself, must be delivered from the Earth.
The word “moon” itself comes from the Proto-Slavic luna - that is, “bright”. Throughout its existence, humanity has been interested in this celestial satellite of the Earth almost more than the Sun.
Perhaps the reason is that the light of the Moon - strange, white and cold, was inexplicable and then inexplicable to medieval man. If the Sun is a raging flame, heat, its analogue is the earthly hearth, then what is the Moon?
People of antiquity, devoid of scientific knowledge, said that the Sun shines and the Moon shines. It’s amazing how accurately these synonymous words describe the essence of the phenomenon: “shines” - it means it emits, gives off light, strength; “Shines” simply means it illuminates without spreading energy. This is how rivers, mirrors, smooth stones shine.
The moon shines like... coal
With the development of science, humanity learned that the light of the Moon is reflected: the rays of the Sun fall on its surface and are partially reflected. The reflection is surprisingly low and comparable to that of charcoal - about 7%. However, the size of a celestial body also determines its brightness in comparison with a porous and very light-intensive material.
But the mystery of moonlight lies not only in its origin. A great miracle for humanity was the change in the illumination of the satellite. And only with the discovery and study of the rotation of the Earth around the Sun and the Moon around the Earth, the phenomenon acquired a completely ordinary explanation - there was no place for magic in it.
Moon phases. Moon waxing and waning
Moon phases are the degree of illumination of the lunar surface from the point of view of an earthling. We see either a full light oval of a celestial body, or a sickle of varying thickness, or a “slice.”
The change of phases is determined by the position of the Sun, Earth and Moon. During the lunar, or synodic, month (about 29 days 13 hours), the satellite rotates around our planet, illuminated differently by the Sun. When the Earth completely blocks the Moon from us, it becomes invisible. Then, with advancement, a thin sickle appears - on that side the Sun “reaches” the satellite.
This cycle can be easily simulated using a table lamp and two objects of different sizes. By simulating the movement of the Earth and the Moon around the Sun, you will be able to observe the similarity of the satellite’s illumination phases.
...The days go by - the Moon moves further and further in its orbit and is increasingly “visible” to the Sun, that is, we can better see its illuminated side. This is expressed in the growth of the sickle to a “slice”, and then to a full “turnip”, as they once said in Slavic villages.
After several days of a full oval, we begin to notice its decrease - in fact, it begins immediately after reaching fullness, but is not visible to the eye.
Why put a wand to the Moon?
People often get confused: what kind of moon is it now - waxing or waning? This is important to know for many reasons. For example, the lunar cycle greatly influences field and garden work, causing ebbs and flows not only in the seas and oceans, but also in everything that contains water.
It is better for plant growers to sow seeds during the waxing Moon, when the water rises, and to replant plants during the waning Moon. As the analytical department of the investment bank Macquarie Securities found out, during the late waning period and during the new moon, the maximum profit from investments is observed.
For the study, 32 major stock indices were taken over time since 1988, and all of them confirmed the trend. There is a lot of such information, some of it has been confirmed by practice, but has not yet received a scientific explanation.
If you need to understand what state the Moon is in - waxing or waning, try placing a “stick” on it - extend your finger, take a pencil, etc. If you get the letter “r”, then the Moon is growing, if that doesn’t work (more precisely, “p” in the opposite direction, like q), then the Moon is waning.
Even in those distant times, when human ancestors were just taking their first meaningful steps on the planet, the Moon attracted the attention of many. Why? It's simple! Parents know that even the smallest child, who has difficulty walking, seeing the Moon in the sky will draw the attention of adults to it. Indeed, a bright ball hanging in the night sky, tens of times larger in size than the largest star, cannot go unnoticed. Every adult knows well why the Moon glows. This is not only obvious, but also explained in astronomy lessons.
However, before everything was far from so obvious and there were many different points of view. For example, the early Christians never asked the question “why does the moon glow.” Even on the first pages of the Bible it is said that God created the Sun to illuminate the day (daylight), and the Moon to disperse the darkness of the night (nightlight). A little earlier, in the pre-Christian period, the pagans considered the patron goddess of the night. Even now in literature you can sometimes read about ghostly moonlight. It is human nature to believe in miracles... What is the reason for it, since it is so different from the solar or artificial one we are all used to? Why does the moon glow? Where did the epithet “ghostly” come from anyway? In fact, the answer to the question “why does the Moon glow” is very simple. As is known, any body whose reflectance coefficient differs from zero in a larger direction is capable of reflecting part of the light flux incident on it. This property is used by some manufacturers of lighting fixtures: there are varieties of chandeliers, the glow of the lamps of which is directed not downwards, as in conventional design solutions, by reflectors, but upwards, into the ceiling. Thanks to this, a soft (ghostly) lighting is created in the room, which is not blinding at all - the so-called diffused light, reflected by the ceiling surface in all directions.
Moonlight arises according to a similar principle. In our star system, only one is characterized by an intense glow - the Sun. Its luminous flux also hits the Moon, from where it is partially reflected. According to rough estimates, the brightness of moonlight is 26 times lower than that of the sun. If our satellite were ours, it could only be “seen” with the help of instruments; Well, if the Moon had a mirror surface, its luminosity would be almost as good as that of the Sun.
There are phases: new moon, new moon, quarter moon, full moon. Since the shape of the satellite is spherical, depending on the relative position of the conventional “Sun-Moon-Earth” system, the visible shape of the Moon in the sky periodically changes. If a satellite falls into the earth's shadow, then the sun's rays do not reach its surface, so the night sky is empty (in fact, the Moon is always there, just the reflected light of the Earth itself and the stars is not enough to see the satellite). It's a new moon.
The appearance of a luminous sickle symbolizes a new phase - neomenia. After a few days, the right half “glows” - this is the first quarter. Then comes the time of the full disk - the full moon. And finally, it is replaced by the last quarter - the left half glows. Gradually, half turns into a sickle (letter “C”) and the cycle repeats.
Although it would seem that the natural satellite of our planet should have been fully studied long ago, this is not the case. Moon exploration continues. With surprising consistency, assumptions are made that the satellite is hollow. This is indirectly confirmed by images that are constantly being recorded over a surface covered with a layer of dust. Perhaps inside the Moon there are secret bases of an unknown race, hidden from the curious human gaze. Scientists have yet to figure this out. Be that as it may, almost every night we can admire the wonderful moonlight, diligently dispelling the darkness of the night.
