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The moon is spiraling away from the Earth at a speed of about 2 inches
per century.
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The interaction of the Earth and the Moon slows down Earth's rotation.
900 million years ago there were 481 days in a year.
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Neil Armstrong was the first person to step on the moon on July 20,
1969. He said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
The flag that they placed on the Moon had to be stiffened with wire because
there is no wind on the Moon.
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The moon has no atmosphere, no air, and therefore no clouds.
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Regolith, fine dust and rocky debris produced by meteor impacts, cover
the surface.
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Today most scientists think that the moon was formed long ago from ejected
material when the Earth collided with a very large object. This is called
the "Impact Theory." It is supported by two facts, the Moon's composition
is similar to the material in Earth's mantle which lies between the crust
and the core, and the Moon has no central core.
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The moon orbits the Earth at a distance of 238,850 miles.
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The Moon is the only body so far on which humans have landed. The recent
discovery of water there has stimulated plans for an eventual return.
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It is far smaller and lighter than the Earth, and therefore has less
gravitational pull. As a result you would weigh just 1/6 of your Earth
body weight on the Moon.
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The pull of the moon's gravity causes our oceans to rise and fall. We
call these movements the ocean tides.
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The Moon appears dark gray because its surface reflects only 12% of
the sunlight that hits it.
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The darker areas of the Moon's surface are depressions created by the
impact of giant meteorites. One of the most famous depressions, or "seas"
is the Sea of Tranquillity where Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil Armstrong and
Edwin Aldrin landed.
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The bright areas on the Moon are highlands, whose light rocks reflect
the sunlight.
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The surface of the Moon is pitted with craters, the largest of which
can engulf a city.
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Some craters at the poles never receive sunlight, and in 1998 were found
to contain traces of water ice.
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Some craters are surrounded by bright streaks called rays. These consist
of crushed rock thrown out of the crater at the time of impact.
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Whenever we look at the Moon, we always see the same side. This is because
the Moon turns on its axis in exactly the same time (27.3 days) that it
takes to orbit the Earth. This phenomenon is known as "Synchronous Rotation."
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When the Moon moves directly between the Sun and Earth so that all three
are lined up in a straight line, a solar eclipse takes place. A lunar
eclipse is more common. That is when the Earth moves directly between the
moon and the Sun.
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The moon has no light of its own. It seems to shine, but it is just
reflecting light from the sun. The moon's sky is always black because the
sunlight cannot scatter without air.
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