To the question Why is the Moon round? given by the author Country road the best answer is Celestial bodies are round because they are formed due to gravitational forces. Roughly speaking, every particle of a celestial body tries to be closer to the center. Therefore it turns out to be a ball. Cosmology considers two hypotheses: A) condensation from ownerless matter (interstellar hydrogen), exactly the same as planets, stars, etc.; B) under the influence of a gravitational carousel, a “droplet” came off from the still liquid Earth, turning into a natural satellite. The moon is always the same - round. But to us from Earth it seems that it is either half a ball or just a narrow crescent - the Moon. That is, the Moon is more than half, but less than a full sphere. We say that the Moon is waxing or waning. On a new moon we don’t see it at all, but on a full moon it is absolutely round. Why is that? It's all about the position of the Moon around the Earth and relative to the Sun, this is called the phases of the Moon for short. During the new moon, the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, on the same line with them. During the full moon, it is also on the same line with them, but at the same time the Moon is behind the Earth
Answer from I-beam[guru]
because that’s how it was originally formed
Answer from Vasily Mitrofanov[guru]
Yes a paradox! The moon is round, and there are aliens in all corners!
Answer from Staff[guru]
Most celestial bodies are round!
Answer from Roman Tick[guru]
Because the table is wooden))
Answer from Dadaware[guru]
We teach physics.
Answer from Abstract@ktsiya V.I.[guru]
look more closely...it's not round but oval)
and here are two points of view for you to judge)):
1)
There were answers about the spherical shape (gravitational forces in a vacuum force the liquid to take on a shape with a minimum surface area), but there is no single point of view regarding the method of formation. Cosmology considers two hypotheses: A) condensation from ownerless matter (interstellar hydrogen), exactly the same as planets, stars, etc.; B) under the influence of a gravitational carousel, a “droplet” came off from the still liquid Earth, turning into a natural satellite.
2)
she is sickle-shaped... although no, now it’s round... and she also has a mouth, nose and eyes... - This is the head of the great ancient hero!
It was once hot, and it was also rotating, so it took on a spherical shape.
good luck in choosing))
Answer from Elizaveta Chereshnyuk[newbie]
The moon is similar in shape to a lemon
Answer from Alex alex[newbie]
in order for it to become round it must at least spin, but it doesn’t spin,
Answer from Sergei Kaletsky[active]
because all planets are round
Answer from Serzh777[guru]
because it is a planet, and there are no square planets!)
Answer from Bob[guru]
Because the earth is also round
Answer from Farkhad[guru]
The rounded shape is inherent in all celestial bodies with gravity. This is the most energy-efficient form.
THE MOON IS TOO PERFECTLY ROUND TO BE A SHARD PLANETS - THIS IS MY OBJECTION TO THE AMERICAN SCIENTIST
I am not at all convinced by the theory - that the Moon is a stub of a collision between the Earth and another planet - why? it is too perfect a ball - it is clear that it was formed in space and was drawn into the Earth’s orbit rather due to its own slight collision with it - it may be objected that the irregularities after the impact were then decorated with dust from space... but the Earth is no less ancient creation and its the dust did not turn the planet into a completely round one! - it looks like a compressed lump of paper - all in potholes and the fact that it is round is a decoration made of water... which means time that did not make the Earth round is not capable of making the Moon round - and if so, then it is clearly not a stub after some kind of impact - from another planet... - and a guest from outer space...
Mysteries of the Moon's Birth Revealed
A small excess of tungsten in the rocks of the Earth's satellite helped geophysicists verify the correctness of the assumption
Geophysicists have received new confirmation of the hypothesis that appeared in the 70s. last century. According to it, the Moon was formed from fragments resulting from the collision of the Earth and a planet the size of Mars about 4.5 billion years ago. This idea was prompted by the similar composition of our planet and its satellite, as well as the almost complete absence of an iron core on the Moon.
Photo by Patrick Pleul / globallookpress.com
However, it was a difficult struggle to prove the validity of this hypothesis. For example, some scientists argued that the Earth and the Moon were formed simultaneously, others - that the Moon broke away from the rapidly rotating Earth, and others - that they were formed in different parts of the solar system, and when the Moon came close to the Earth, it was captured by it.
But American professor Richard Walker managed to bring new arguments in favor of the hypothesis of a collision between the Earth and a large cosmic body. The missing compelling argument was one of the tungsten isotopes. It was the tungsten-182 isotope, found in the soils of the Moon and Earth, which appeared after the decay of hafnium-182, that allowed Walker to finally verify the validity of this hypothesis.
The scientist theoretically proved that if the Moon was really born after the collision of the Earth with Theia, then the proportion of this isotope in lunar rocks should be higher. And then he discovered this while examining rock samples brought to Earth by the Apollo 16 expedition. Moon rocks actually contain more tungsten-182 than the Earth's interior.
From which the geophysicist concluded that the Moon was born during the collision of the Earth with Theia, and their ejected matter was thoroughly mixed, judging by the lack of differences in the proportions of other isotopes.
Theia, a planet that previously existed in the solar system, was approximately the same distance from the Sun as the Earth. This is what allows scientists to believe that its chemical composition was very close to the composition of our planet.
Alexander BOLOTOV
Moon phases
On a clear, cold autumn night you go outside. The Moon had just risen, a huge round orange Moon. A few days later, you notice that the moon is no longer as round. A few more days pass - the Moon has turned into a horned moon. After two weeks, the Moon disappears altogether.
Why does the Moon change shape?
What happened? Why does the Sun always turn its round sparkling face towards us, and the Moon has phases? The moon passes them regularly every month, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing, like a balloon that is being inflated and then deflated.
In reality, of course, the Moon always remains a ball, invariably hard and rocky. What actually changes is the amount of the illuminated surface of the Moon that we can see.
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The Moon makes one revolution around its axis in almost the same time that it makes one revolution around the Earth (in 27/3 days), so the Moon almost always faces the Sun with only one side. But it is wrong to think that eternal night reigns on one side of the moon. Although slowly, the change of day and night still occurs.
Why does the moon glow?
What we call moonlight is actually sunlight reflected by the gray, rocky lunar surface. The Moon moves with the Earth around the Sun and is illuminated by the Sun. As the Moon moves, we see either a larger or smaller part of the illuminated surface of the Moon, that is, the position of the Moon in relation to the Earth is changing all the time.
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What we call the "phases" of the Moon are the angles at which we see the illuminated part of the Moon. When we see it completely, this position is called the full moon. When, after a few days, the Moon becomes “defective,” we already see part of its illuminated half (the first quarter after the full moon).
Then the Moon decreases by half, then a beautiful horned moon appears. When the completely dark half of the Moon comes into our field of vision, it seems to disappear altogether. This position is called the new moon. And indeed, after a short time we again see a silver sickle in the sky, and the illuminated half of the Moon again enters our field of vision. The moon continues to increase in size and the whole cycle repeats. If you look closely at the crescent moon, you can see the rest of it, although it looks very dark.
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Why do eclipses happen?
To see the full Moon every night, you need to launch a rocket into space and hover in it over the illuminated half of the Moon, which will be clearly visible even when it is hidden from the eyes of the inhabitants of the Earth. Planets also have phases. Scientists, looking at Mercury and Venus through a telescope, observed them in the form of horned months. When the Earth was photographed from space, spacecraft often transmitted space images in which our planet also looks like a damaged Moon.
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Our planet is beautiful and amazing; there is no such planet in the entire universe. In its firmament you can observe different luminaries. During the day, the sun shines brightly on the Earth, warming all living things with its rays, and at night we see how Moon shines through the windows of our houses. The moon has always been mysterious; in ancient times, people watched with fear and trepidation as it changed its face. Eclipses caused them even greater horror, when the entire Earth was plunged into complete darkness for a short time.
The moon itself cannot emit light, it reflects the light of the Sun. Why do people think that the moon is changing? The Moon is a satellite of our planet and revolves around it. We can always see the Moon only from one side, as if it were tied to the Earth with a rope. We can only see the illuminated part of the Moon. For about four weeks, the Moon makes its procession around the Earth. What we observe as a change in the appearance of the Moon or phase is actually a change in the illumination of the Moon as seen from the Earth. In four weeks, a complete cycle of changes in the appearance of the Moon is completed. At the beginning of the cycle, the Moon is new and it is in the same direction from us as the Sun.
The side of the Moon, which is turned towards the Earth, is dark and completely lost in the rays of the Sun; in this phase the Moon is not visible in the sky. This lunar phase is called - new moon.
The next phase has a name - the first quarter, and the Moon passes the fourth part of its path, then we see the half-illuminated disk of the Moon.
The third phase of the moon is called full moon, The Moon is on the opposite side of the Sun and we see the entire disk of the Moon illuminated by the sun's rays. The final phase is the last quarter, and the Moon's disk is also half illuminated.
To correctly determine what phase the Moon is in, you need to know one interesting rule. If its sickle looks like the bow of the letter “P”, then the Moon is growing. When its arch looks in the opposite direction and resembles the letter “C”, then the Moon is aging. This is very easy to remember and you can always determine whether the young Moon has just begun its journey or the old Moon is completing its cycle.
Sometimes you can observe amazing phenomena in the sky called eclipses.
Scientists call a solar eclipse the phenomenon when the disk of the Moon completely covers the Sun. It is very interesting to observe such a phenomenon, but you need to take a piece of dark glass with you, through which the eclipse will be visible in all its glory.
Another interesting sight in science is called lunar eclipse. This happens when the shadow of the Earth covers the disk of the Moon and instead of the luminous lunar disk one can see a dark circle. If the orbits of the Earth and the Moon coincided, we could observe an eclipse of the Sun at new moon and an eclipse of the Moon at full moon at each revolution. This does not happen because the plane on which the Moon's orbit is located is tilted by five degrees.
Incredible facts
Did you know that there is no such thing as a full moon? Also, that there is no dark side of the moon? Surely many of the facts about the moon presented below are unknown to a large number of people.
Big hit
The moon, as scientists explain, was formed as a result of a collision known as a giant impact. Here's how it happened: a giant object the size of Mars collided with the earth 4.6 billion years ago, shortly after the birth of the Sun and solar system. At first, the moon was a kind of cloud that entered orbit around the Earth. Then gradually the cloud began to cool and condense rings of small, solid bodies, which, when united, formed the moon.
The earth contributes to the "rising" of the moon
Every day, although not at the same time, the moon rises in the east and sets in the west, just like the sun and other stars. The Moon also orbits the Earth once every 29.5 days. In the sky, this occurs as a gradual movement to the east, although this is not noticeable when observed. But this is the explanation why the moon rises every day on average 50 minutes later than the previous day. This also explains why we sometimes see the moon during the day.
The moon has no dark side
Contrary to what you've probably heard, there is no such thing as the "dark side" of the moon. There is, however, a side that cannot be seen from the ground. And here's why: a long time ago, the gravitational forces of the earth contributed to the fact that the rotation of the moon around its axis slowed down. When the moon's rotation slowed enough to match its orbital period (the time it takes for the moon to circle the earth), the effect stabilized.
So the moon rotates around the earth and around its axis always for the same amount of time, but only one part of it is visible to us.
Gravity is much weaker
The moon is approximately 27 percent the size of the earth and is less massive. The gravity on the moon is approximately 1/6 that of the earth. If you want to throw a stone on the moon, it will fall much slower than on earth. If you weigh 150 pounds on earth, you will weigh 25 pounds on the moon.
Larger and smaller "full moons"
The moon's orbit around the earth is an oval rather than a circle, so the distance from the center of the earth to the center of the moon varies depending on each orbit.
At perigee, when the moon is closest to the earth, the distance is 363,300 km; at apogee, the farthest location, the distance is 405,500 km. When the moon is waxing at its apogee, we may see a lunar disk that will be 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than at other times.
In fact, the moon is always the same size, although sometimes there are illusions that it is higher when it rises than when seen late at night.
"Tarnished" history
Craters on the moon speak of its turbulent history. Because there is almost no atmosphere and there is very little activity on the moon itself, the craters indicate the effects of an impact that happened billions of years ago. After discovering many craters on the moon, scientists concluded that the moon was subject to "heavy bombardment" about 4 billion years ago.
The moon is not round
Yes exactly. And not spherical. In fact, it is shaped like an egg. If you walk down the street and look at the moon, you will see that one of its small ends will be looking directly at you. It is also worth noting that the lunar center is not a center in geometric terms, it is located approximately 2 km from it. The earth, by the way, also has bulges in the middle part.
Attention! "Moonquakes"
The Apollo astronauts used a seismometer during their visit to the moon and discovered that the planet wasn't all that smooth, geologically speaking. Small moonquakes that occur a few kilometers below the surface are thought to be caused by the earth's gravitational pull. Sometimes tiny cracks appear above the surface and gas escapes from them. Scientists believe it is likely that the moon's core is hotter than the Earth's core and may be partially molten. However, data from NASA's Lunar Geology Survey in 1999 showed that the lunar core is very small: approximately 2-4 percent of the Earth's total mass. It is tiny compared to the Earth's core, which makes up about 30 percent of the planet's mass.
"Working" with the oceans
Tides on earth are caused mainly by the moon; the sun has little influence. Here's how it works: The moon's gravity affects Earth's oceans. At the same time, the earth reacts to it with a high tide. The opposite side of the planet also experiences high tides because gravity affects land to a much greater extent than it affects water.
During full and new moons, the sun, earth and moon align in such a way that the tides are especially high. When the moon is in its first or last quarter, the tides are usually at their lowest.
As is already known, the 29.5-day orbit of the moon around the earth is not circular. When the moon is closest to the earth (at perigee), the tides are highest and are called perigee tides. It's also worth noting that some of the earth's rotational energy is stolen by the moon, causing our planet to slow down by about 1.5 milliseconds per century.
Goodbye moon!
With every second the moon moves away from us. Every year, the moon steals energy from the earth's rotation and uses it to move 4 cm above its orbit. Scientists say that when the moon first formed (4.6 billion years ago), it was 22,530 km from the earth. Now this distance is more than 450,000 km.
Meanwhile, the speed of the earth's rotation slows down - the days become longer and longer. Eventually, if this continues, an earthly day will become equal to a month. When this happens, billions of years from now, Earth's month will be significantly longer—about 40 of our present days—because the moon will continue to move backwards during that time.
