Even though the moon isn’t a part of Earth's environment per say, it’s still a cool celestial body that holds a lot of impact on our planet. It is clear to see in the night sky from all parts of the world. Humans for a long time have reveled in its beauty and quiet magnificence. It wasn’t until relatively recently that we have been able to learn so much about the moon and have been able to go there.

Our moon is the 5th largest in the solar system, our of about 336. It has a diameter of 2,160 miles across, and its mass is only about 1% of Earth’s. It has a total of 9,137 craters, all which formed due to collisions with asteroids or comets. The moon is estimated to be around 4.53 billion years old, which has been calculated due to its mineral composition. While scientists can’t be certain how it was formed, the most widely accepted hypothesis is the giant-impact theory, which states that the Earth collided with a smaller planet, and that impact created debris that came together to form the moon.

As you may know, the moon isn’t itself bright. Its surface reflects light from the sun, which gives it its illuminated appearance. The phases of the moon are defined by the portion that is visible to us throughout the month. These lunar phases are due to the positions of the moon and the Earth, as well as the Earth and the sun. The cycle of phases is slightly less than a month at 29.5 days. The four main phases are the new moon, first quarter, full moon, and third quarter.

New Moon: The moon is in line with the sun, in between the Earth and the sun, which makes it appear dark.

First Quarter: The moon is halfway between a new moon and a full moon, which makes half of it visible

Full Moon: The moon is aligned with the sun on the opposite side of the Earth, making it appear fully bright.

Third Quarter: The moon is halfway between a full moon and a new moon, which makes half of it visible.

In between these phases, there are four intermediate phases: waxing crescent, waxing gibbous, waning gibbous, and waning crescent.

There are various ways that the moon holds importance for us on Earth. The most well known example is the tides. The gravitational pull from the moon creates the tidal force. This causes the water to bulge out on the sides closest to and farthest from the moon. These bulges are the high tides. Most coastal regions experience two high tides and two low tides every day. The moon has also impacted the length of our days and the stability of our seasons. On top of that, there are some interesting influences of the moon on things such as bird migration and coral spawning.

Again, even though humans have appreciated the moon for a very long time from far away, it hasn’t been until fairly recently that we’ve been able to explore it and understand it. In 1610, Galileo made the first telescopic observation of the moon. For a while, research could only be done through the use of telescopes. Then, in 1959, Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 landed on the moon. It wasn’t until 1968 that the first humans went there. In total, 12 people have gone. It has been a long time since we’ve been back, but in 2024, the next 2 people will be going as part of NASA’s Artemis Program. In the meantime, research from afar is still being held.



Sources: Science Kids, Sciencing, NOAA, Natural History Museum