5. The Moon and Its Phases

The Moon and its Influence

• Some aspects of animal life are influenced by the lunar cycle, such as the hatching of eggs and bird migrations.
• The Moon's gravity causes tides, with high tide occurring every 12 hours and 25 minutes and low tide on the other sides of the Earth.
• The Moon is 384,000 km away from Earth and moves in its orbit at a speed of 1 km/s.
• The Moon is visible due to reflected sunlight, and its different visible amounts create phases, completing a cycle in 29.5 days.
• Lunar months were once the basis of calendars, but they fell out of sync with the seasons.
• Moonlight is reflected sunlight, and the varying visibility of the Moon's lit surface is called "phases."
• The Moon rises at the same time as the Sun during a new moon, and its visible part waxes or grows every night.
• The Moon passes through phases known as the crescent Moon, quarter Moon, and gibbous Moon, with the cycle completing at the new phase.
• Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon moves into Earth's shadow, with about 2-3 per year at different locations.
• An eclipse occurs when the Moon or Earth passes through the other's shadow, and solar eclipses occur during a new Moon.
• A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon passes behind the Earth, and about 35% of lunar eclipses in a year are total lunar eclipses.
• Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, and their frequency and occurrence on the ground are limited.

Exploring the Moon

• Probes were sent to the Moon in the 1950s and 1960s, and the first man on the Moon was Neil Armstrong in 1969.
• Six Apollo missions occurred between 1969 and 1972, bringing back 382 kg (842 lbs) of rocks, and 12 Americans have walked on the Moon.
• The Artemis II mission is scheduled for November 2024, with a four-person crew circling the Moon as part of NASA's plan to return astronauts to the Moon in 2025.