Moon Rotation

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. It is the largest natural satellite in the Solar System relative to the size of its planet, a quarter the diameter of Earth and 1/81 its mass, and is the second densest satellite after Io. It is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face; the near side is marked with dark volcanic maria among the bright ancient crustal highlands and prominent impact craters. Despite being the brightest object in the sky after the Sun, its surface is actually very dark, with a similar reflectance to coal. Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have since ancient times made the Moon an important cultural influence on language, the calendar, art and mythology. The Moon's gravitational influence produces the ocean tides and the minute lengthening of the day. The Moon's current orbital distance, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth, causes it to be the same size in the sky as the Sun allowing the Moon to cover the Sun precisely in total solar eclipses.

The Moon is the only celestial body on which humans have made a manned landing. While the Soviet Union's Luna programme was the first to reach the Moon with unmanned spacecraft, the United States' NASA Apollo program achieved the only manned missions to date, beginning with the first manned lunar orbiting mission by Apollo 8 in 1968, and six manned lunar landings between 1969 and 1972 the first being Apollo 11 in 1969. These missions returned over 380 kg of lunar rocks, which have been used to develop a detailed geological understanding of the Moon's origins (it is thought to have formed some 4.5 billion years ago in a giant impact), the formation of its internal structure, and its subsequent history.

Moon
Orbital characteristics
Perigee 363,104 km (0.0024 AU)
Apogee 405,696 km (0.0027 AU)
Semi-major axis 384,399 km (0.00257 AU)
Eccentricity 0.0549
Orbital period 27.321582 d (27 d 7 h 43.1 min)
Synodic period 29.530589 d (29 d 12 h 44 min 2.9 s)
Average orbital speed 1.022 km/s
Inclination 5.145° to the ecliptic
(between 18.29° and 28.58° to Earth's equator)
Longitude of ascending node regressing by one revolution in 18.6 years
Argument of perigee progressing by one revolution in 8.85 years
Satellite of Earth
Physical characteristics
Mean radius 1,737.10 km (0.273 Earths)
Equatorial radius 1,738.14 km (0.273 Earths)
Polar radius 1,735.97 km (0.273 Earths)
Flattening 0.00125
Circumference 10,921 km (equatorial)
Surface area 3.793 × 107 km2 (0.074 Earths)
Volume 2.1958 × 1010 km3 (0.020 Earths)
Mass 7.3477 × 1022 kg (0.0123 Earths)
Mean density 3,346.4 kg/m3
Equatorial surface gravity 1.622 m/s2 (0.165 4 g)
Escape velocity 2.38 km/s
Sidereal rotation
period 27.321582 d (synchronous)
Equatorial rotation velocity 4.627 m/s
Axial tilt 1.5424° (to ecliptic)
6.687° (to orbit plane)
Albedo 0.136
Surface temp. min mean max equator 100 K 220 K 390 K 85°N 70 K 130 K 230 K

Apparent magnitude −2.5 to −12.9
−12.74 (mean full Moon)
Angular diameter 29.3 to 34.1 arcminutes
Atmosphere
Surface pressure 10−7 Pa (day)
10−10 Pa (night)
Composition Ar, He, Na, K, H, Rn

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NASA
• ESA
• Moon
• lunar
• moon
• rotation
• satellite
• moons
• astronomy
• apollo
• kurd
• kurdistan

[korzon]

Is the face of the moon supposed too change like it is wobbling up and down?Because the other night the face was way farther down and tonight the full moon it's back too where it usualy is.Almost as if you grabbed it and tilted it forward and then back in place.As if it's moving on it's axis like earth.

[KurdstanPlanetarium]

@korzon The Moon has a movement called Libration, in 3 different movement, Libration in Longitude 7 degrees up and down, Libration in Latitude again 7 degress etierh side (left &right), also daily libration when rises till sets

reuslt of these Libration we see 59% of the Lunar Surface at times.

chekc out my video, Lunar Libration and also my new video Lunar Roation - HQ

[Sashomei]

the moon is not rotating! lol!!!!!

its turning aroung the earth

[KurdstanPlanetarium]

@Sashomei The Moon does rotates around itself in the same peroid as it orbit Earth, thats why we see only one face turned towards us its called Synchronous Rotation...LOL

[Smileyfacedkiller]

@KurdstanPlanetarium

so I wasn't tripping when I thought the moon was dancing around in the sky the other month that I gazed at the full moon for hours.

[KurdstanPlanetarium]

@mayataeho No I m cool, but Im not an Armchair, as I have my own Telescope to observe and have the chance to observe from remotely control telescope, as well as I did Lunar and Palnetarry observations from 26" Refractor Telescope at ULO Oberevatory part of UCL where I greaduated studing Math & Astronomy !!

[KurdstanPlanetarium]

@mayataeho just type Lunar Rotation - HQ

btw I m not an armchair, look at my channel and see some of my products out of 527 Astronomical videos

btw should you needed infromation about the Eclipses both Solar and Lunar Eclipses, Sesaons and the latest abut NEO Asteroids and comets then you are in the right palce, my videos (specailly the Eclipse vidoes), make the headlines around the world, just check my last Total Lunar Eclipse 10 Dec 2011, and see it for yourself and some of comments there!

[KurdstanPlanetarium]

@mayataeho hahah, why not look at my new version, Lunar Rotation - HQ, and see the difference and then leave me your feed back !!

[TheBlobster1212]

Planet Earth is the only terrestrial planet with a round moon? Also, was planet Mars had water?

Then, where did all the water go?

[BlueDragonFuze]

@hummingbirdhoneybear lol your sarcasm! If it isn't, you're crazy then!

[korzon]

@KurdstanPlanetarium Actualy it's like ring around the rosey so in a sense it only apears too,They swing around as they are locked holding hands.So also in a sense they dont revolve only earth is able too spin.Almost as it does rotate and actualy doesn't like a optical illusion.The earth and the moon are a machine working together like a clock and quite impressive in function I must say.It's kept track of time all these years.

[korzon]

@KurdstanPlanetarium Now that's science because we can observe it,And I have watched it myself and seen it with my naked eye.I can also prove it by taking the overlays of photo's and putting them on top of eachother.I have also noticed it turns too,As if rotated a couple Degees then back.Thats something we can be sure of.I wish we could have complete access on line of the Hubble real time as the astronomers get.It is rediculous we pay taxes for the thing and all we get is what they allow.