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Sun and moon- comparison big star and satellite of the Earth: dimensions in the photo, creation of a solar eclipse, influence on the planet, composition, gravitational field, light.
The sun and the moon are exactly those two celestial bodies but in our planetary system, which have the greatest impact on the Earth. Let's look at how similar and at the same time different these celestial bodies are.
Dimensions of the Sun and Moon
If we consider absolute values, then there are no other two objects that are so different in size. The sun is 1.4 million kilometers across and 3,474 kilometers across. In other words, the Sun is exactly 400 times the diameter of the Earth's satellite.
But strangely enough, the Sun happened to be exactly 400 times more distant than the Moon, and this creates one interesting coincidence. From the angle and distance from which we look at these two objects in the sky, they seem to us absolutely identical in size. It is thanks to this incredible set of circumstances that we can observe total solar eclipses at those moments when the Moon passes in its orbit exactly between the Sun and the Earth.
The gravitational interaction of the Moon and the Sun (tides) causes the Earth's satellite to move away from our planet by an average of 3.8 centimeters every year. In ancient times, the Moon looked much larger to people than the Sun, because it was closer to its current position. And in the coming decades, it will look much smaller than the Sun. Therefore, the fact that we can observe total eclipses is just a lucky coincidence.
Due to the fact that the Sun is larger in diameter, then, accordingly, in weight it significantly exceeds the Moon. To be precise, its mass is 27 million times greater. Its force of attraction is so great that it makes the Earth rotate in a certain orbit around the Sun and slowly attracts the Moon towards itself.
When the Sun and the Moon influence our planet with their force of attraction from the same side, their gravity creates spring tides. After some time, these celestial bodies begin to act on our planet from opposite sides, and we can observe the ebb.
Light of the Sun and Moon
The sun is the only celestial body in the solar system that emits light. Huge masses of hydrogen and helium, which are burned every second in the flaming core of the Sun, are a source of light and heat for our entire system of planets. It is this light that hits and reflects off the Moon's surface that causes the Earth's satellite to glow in the night sky and make it visible to us.
Composition of the Sun and Moon
This is where these two celestial bodies differ significantly from each other. The sun is mostly made up of helium and hydrogen. The moon was formed at the moment when, several billion years ago, an object comparable in size to a planet flew within our solar system and met the Earth on its way. There was a big collision. The small debris from that incident combined to form the moon. The surface layers of the Moon are composed mainly of silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium, and aluminum. Astronomers believe that the core of the Earth's satellite may consist of metal, sulfur and nickel, but in a completely molten state.
Use our online telescopes to view celestial bodies up close in real time. Also use maps of the surface of the Sun and Moon if you are interested in seeing lunar craters or sunspots.
If you watch the moon for even a few days, you will find that it is not always visible to us as a circle. The full disk of the Moon first begins to decrease until it ceases to be visible at all. Then the moon begins to grow until it becomes a full disk again. This whole cycle takes about 29.5 days.
The lunar cycle consists of 4 phases. Moon phase is the ratio of the area of the illuminated part of the visible disk of the Moon to its entire area. These phases change in the following order:
- New moon- when the lunar disk is not visible at all;
- First quarter- the right half of the lunar disk is visible,
- Full moon- when the lunar disk is fully visible
- Last quarter- the left half of the lunar disk is visible.
What is the change in the phases of the moon?
The moon itself does not glow, it reflects the sunlight falling on it. The moon also revolves around the earth. The phases of the moon reflect the movement of the moon around the earth, which is accompanied by a change in the appearance of our satellite.
1 - new moon, 3 - first quarter, 5 - full moon, 7 - last quarter.
At the new moon, the moon passes between the sun and the earth. The dark side of the Moon, not illuminated by the Sun, faces the Earth (1). True, at this time the disk of the moon glows with a special, ashy light. This phenomenon is caused by sunlight reflected by the Earth towards the Moon. That is, the rays of the ashy moonlight go the following way: Sun --> Earth --> Moon --> the observer's eye on Earth.
Two days after the new moon in the evening sky, in the west, shortly after sunset, a thin crescent of the young moon appears (2).
Seven days after the new moon the waxing Moon is visible in the form of a semicircle in the west or southwest, shortly after sunset (3). The Moon is 90° east of the Sun and is visible in the evenings and in the first half of the night.
14 days after new moon the full moon comes (5). At the same time, the Moon is in opposition to the Sun, and the entire illuminated hemisphere of the Moon is facing the Earth. On a full moon, the moon is visible all night, the moon rises at sunset, and sets at sunrise.
One week after full moon the aging Moon appears before us in the phase of its last quarter, in the form of a semicircle (7). At this time, half of the illuminated and half of the unlit hemisphere of the Moon is facing the Earth. The moon is visible in the east, before sunrise, in the second half of the night.
Thus, the change in the phases of the Moon is explained by two reasons: firstly, the Moon is a dark, opaque ball illuminated by the Sun, and, secondly, the Moon revolves around the Earth.
Do you know...
In different phases of the moon, its rising (i.e., the beginning of the lunar day) is observed at different times of the day.
- In phase I, the moon rises at the same time as the sunrise or immediately after it.
- In phase II, the moon rises at noon or shortly thereafter.
- In phase III, the moon rises at the same time as the sunset or shortly after it.
- In phase IV, the moon rises at midnight or immediately after it.
By the way...
You can simulate the phases of the moon at home. In the evening, turn off the overhead light, turn on the table lamp and pick up the ball. Extend your arms with the ball in front of you. You are the Earth, the ball is the Moon, and the lamp will be the Sun.
Stand facing the lamp. It illuminates the half of the ball that is on the other side of you. You see only the unlit half of the ball. This is a new moon.
Then stand sideways to the lamp. Now the lamp illuminates only half of your Moon - that's a quarter.
The full moon situation occurs when you stand with your back to the lamp. The ball is on the opposite side of the lamp, and the entire illuminated side of the ball is facing you.
(By the way, in the latter case, you can completely obscure the ball, and then the lamp will not illuminate it either! Is this possible? Yes! This phenomenon is called lunar eclipse. During a lunar eclipse, the Sun, Earth and Moon are in line, with the Earth between the Moon and the Sun and shading the Moon. In the same way, when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth on the same line, a new moon occurs solar eclipse . Eclipses rarely occur because the Moon around the Earth and the Earth around the Sun rotate in different planes.).
By the way...
How to distinguish the growing moon from the waning one? Very simple! If the month is similar to the letter " With" means he With aging, that is, this is the last quarter. And if it is turned in the opposite direction, then, mentally putting a wand to it on the left, we get the letter " R", which will tell us that the month is now - R Astushchy, that is, this is the first quarter!
A growing month is usually observed in the evening, and an aging month is usually observed in the morning.
The Earth and the Moon are particles of our solar system, at the center of which is the Sun. Since ancient times, the universe has been mysterious and carried with it many secrets. Man wanted to unravel these mysteries and learn something new. Astronautics has become a big step for the knowledge of space. Everyone knows that Gagarin for the first time managed to fly around the Earth and land successfully. Since that time, people began to celebrate Cosmonautics Day, and the American astronaut took the first step on the surface of the moon and set the national flag. The planets revolve around the Sun in orbits and are tens of thousands of kilometers apart from each other. The sun is still mysterious and unexplored. So what is the difference between the Moon and the Sun?
the only and very important satellite of the Earth. Without it, life on Earth would be completely different. It revolves around the Earth, with all this, the Moon faces the Earth with only one side (the heaviest one). The second side of it is popularly called " dark side”, it represents something hidden and mysterious.
There is almost no atmosphere on the moon. Its entire surface is covered in craters due to the fall of meteorites. The craters are round in shape and have a hill in the center, which is evidence volcanic eruption. Lunar mountains are located on the surface, which were formed in the same way as on Earth. There are so-called Lunar seas. These are newer areas and there are almost no craters, these seas are dark spots. There is practically no gravity on the Moon, so it is best for a person to move around by jumping. From the Earth, you can see the Moon in different ways, it all depends on how it is located in relation to the Sun.
The most interesting phenomenon for astronauts is solar eclipse. The moon obscures the solar disk for some time. There are also lunar eclipses. The moon is on the other side of the sun and falls into the shadow of the earth. The sun's rays illuminate the Moon a little and from the Earth this phenomenon looks very beautiful. These eclipses can last up to two hours.
The sun is the star around which all the planets in our solar system revolve. It has the shape of a sphere and consists of gas and plasma, which have a huge temperature equal to 6000 degrees Celsius. On the Sun you can see a lot of granules and from the side they look like a "honeycomb".
Really see at sunset dark spots. Many scientists have tried to figure out what it is, and one succeeded. Galileo Galilei proved that dark spots are formations on the surface of the Sun. Such spots appear and disappear once every 11 years. When the sunspots increase, solar activity occurs.
Solar flares are dangerous. The flux of charged particles, at solar flares, has a negative effect on a person. During a solar flare, astronauts are wary of going out into outer space. Radio communications are disrupted on Earth. Many people during this period may not feel well. Flares occur over several sunspots in the solar corona and last for several minutes.
The sun can stretch along the line of its equator and scientists say that the star is pulsating. The rhythm of this pulse reaches 2 hours.
The age of the sun reaches about 5 billion years and for the same number of years it will shine, according to scientists. After that, all hydrogen fuel will be burned, the Sun will expand and turn into a "red giant" and will not be able to hold its shell. It will simply dissolve into space and the Sun will become an extinct star.
The difference between the sun and the moon
- purpose. The sun is a star. She gives the earth light and warmth. Without it, cold and darkness would reign on Earth. none creature could not survive in such conditions. The moon is the only, but very important natural satellite Earth. Without it, human history would have been very different. The Moon regulates many important factors on Earth, such as the ebb and flow of the tides.
- The size. The sun is much more earth while the Moon is smaller than the Earth. The diameter of the Sun is 109 times larger than the diameter of the Earth. The moon's diameter is about 3475 kilometers and this is 4 times less than the earth.
- Distance. The Sun is much farther from the Earth than the Moon. The sun is at a distance of 150 million kilometers from the Earth; The Moon is at a distance of 380,000 kilometers from the Earth.
- Compound. A star consists of plasma and gases heated to enormous temperatures. The plasma ball of the Sun consists of several layers, which, as they move away from the center of the star, become less and less hot. The sun has a magnetic field. It is due to the rotation of the star. There is also an atmosphere. It is divided into the photosphere (the inner layer that emits light), the chromosphere, and the crust (the outer layer).
The moon consists of a crust, which is divided into several layers: the upper mantle, middle and core. Its thickness varies on average from 0 to 105 km. Scientists have found that the crust on the Moon is thicker on the side that faces the Earth. There is almost no atmosphere on the satellite that protects against “stray” celestial bodies. The entire lunar surface is covered with debris that resemble rocks. They were formed due to the fact that meteorites collided with the moon.
Common between Sun and Moon
The sun and the moon have a common house - space. Together they shine, and each person can admire them. The satellite and the star, of course, are not similar to each other and they have many differences, but if you look from the other side, they are interconnected. After all, you can see a different moon in the sky. It all depends on which side it is located towards the Sun. A phenomenon such as a solar eclipse or moon eclipse also happens due to the moon.
Since ancient times, people have learned to predict certain phenomena on Earth by the location of the Moon and the Sun. For example, they could calculate when the tides would rise or fall. It all depended on the movement of the Moon in its orbit and the movement of the Sun.
The planet Earth is entirely dependent on these two celestial bodies and thanks to them the existence of mankind has a real form.
The movement of the Moon around the planet Earth in orbit takes about a month. In addition, it also moves around its own axis. This process takes a little over 27 days. Since the movement in orbit and rotation around its axis is performed simultaneously, the Moon is always directed towards the Earth by one side.
The moon itself does not shine like the sun. It only gives the impression that it shines, but in fact it only reflects sunlight. As the Moon moves around the planet, sunlight hits different parts of it. This is the answer to the question: "Why is the Moon different?". Periodically, we see the fully illuminated surface of the satellite, and from time to time only part of it is illuminated. Therefore, it seems to us that the moon is changing its shape. But this is only a transformation of the luminary - phases that indicate that we can see its various parts.
Lunar phases, or why the moon is different
The first lunar phase is the new moon. At its moment, the luminary is between the Sun and the Earth. This moon is not visible to us. Then comes the phase in which its side is illuminated by sunlight. This part of it looks like a thin piece of a circle.
Very soon, the side of the Moon that the Sun hits grows and becomes a semicircle. And this lasts until the moon reaches the last quarter, then the cycle ends and starts all over again.
Earth and Moon
The movement of the Earth around its axis coincides with the periods of rotation of the Moon, or is it just the gravitational effect of one celestial body on another? Answer to this question sought by many inquisitive minds.
It has been established that, nevertheless, gravity becomes the cause of this position of celestial bodies. We all know what the tides are, which regularly occur in the oceans and raise the water by several meters.
And the question "why the Moon is different" has a simple answer: the Earth from different sides is subjected to lunar attraction in different ways. The side that is turned towards the satellite is more affected than the opposite.
As a result, different parts of the Earth move in the direction of the side at different speeds. The surface, which is directed towards the Moon, swells, in the center the Earth shifts less, and the opposite surface completely lags behind, forming a hump. The Earth's crust is reluctant to change shape, and on land, tidal forces are imperceptible. In the sea, under the influence of the satellite, tidal humps are formed on different sides planets.
As it turns to the Moon with its different sides, as a result, the tidal hump also moves along its surface. That's why the moon is different.
Scientists have calculated that a billion years ago, the Moon was located significantly. At this time, there were only 20 hours in a day. Only a few days were required for the Moon to pass around the Earth, and therefore were expressed more clearly. Over time, the motion of the satellite slows down, and in five billion years the Earth will rotate so slowly that it will turn only one side to the Moon, and there will be only 9 days a year, not 365. It will make nine revolutions a year. Consequently, the year will not have 12 months, as it is now, but only 9, and each will have only one day.
If the sky darkened, bright stars lit up on it and a horned month or a round-cheeked moon appeared, then night had come. And although we all know that the moon and the month are, in essence, the same luminary, it is interesting to think about whether there are any differences between these concepts, because they are called differently!..
What is the moon and month
Moon- a satellite of the planet Earth, which we can observe in the sky in dark time days.
Month- not full moon.
Comparison of moon and month
What is the difference between the moon and the month?
The main difference between the moon and the month is how we see them when observed from the Earth. The moon is a disk (if it is incomplete, then it irregular shape), and the month looks like a sickle. At the same time, even preschoolers know that the month is one of the faces of the moon. Every night, the Earth's satellite - the Moon - changes its appearance, entering a certain phase. Why is this happening?
The moon has several phases, which depend on its illumination by the sun. They replace each other at regular intervals during the calendar month. The phases of the moon are, in fact, the angles from which we observe the illuminated part of the satellite of our home planet from the Earth. The Sun, Moon and Earth are constantly changing their position in relation to each other. The Moon itself is absolutely dark, it does not emit light (therefore, although it is considered a heavenly body, this is not a completely correct definition). But it is illuminated by the Sun, and if it illuminates the Moon only partially, then we can observe from the Earth that very month, or the crescent of the Moon. Moreover, the illuminated side of the Moon (the curved side of the month) always shows us which side the Sun is currently in, even if it is hidden behind the horizon at that moment. The phases of the moon are called new moon (the moon is not visible), neomenia (the moon looks like a long narrow crescent), first quarter (half of the moon is illuminated), full moon (the entire moon is visible), last quarter (when the other half of the moon is lit). From the new moon to the first quarter, the night “flashlight” is usually called the month, then the moon, until in the last quarter it again turns into a month. Twelve times a year the moon goes through all its phases. Therefore, there are also twelve months in the calendar.
In the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, the horned month symbolized the masculine principle, and the full moon symbolized the feminine. It was believed that in one full cycle, the night luminary turns from a daring young man into a chubby moon girl, who then becomes a decrepit old woman. Then everything repeated again.
It should be borne in mind that the word Moon, written with capital letter, is an astronomical term (the name of a celestial body), and the word month is written in lowercase letters and is not an astronomical term.
TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between the moon and the month is as follows:
The moon and month that we can observe in the night sky are different phases of the same heavenly body. The difference in them appearance depends on the illumination by the Sun of the planet Moon, which is a satellite of the Earth.
The month is horned, the moon is rounded.
The ancient Slavs believed that the month symbolizes the masculine, and the moon - the feminine.
The word Moon written with a capital letter is an astronomical term (the name of a celestial body), but the word month is written in lowercase letters and is not an astronomical term.
This is a common Slavic word of Indo-European nature (in Polish - mesiac, in Bulgarian - a month, in Latin - mensis, and it goes back to the Indo-European stem mens - "month, moon". Etymological Dictionary of Krylov
As you know, the moon does not emit light, but only reflects it. And therefore in the sky only that side of it, which is illuminated by the Sun, is always visible. This side is called the day side. Moving across the sky from west to east, the Moon overtakes and overtakes the Sun during the month. There's a change coming relative position Moon, Earth and Sun. In this case, the sun's rays change the angle of incidence on the lunar surface and therefore the part of the moon visible from the Earth changes. The movement of the moon across the sky is usually divided into phases that are directly related to its modification: new moon, young moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter.
Moon observations
The moon is a spherical celestial body. That is why, when it is partially illuminated by sunlight from the side, the appearance of a “sickle” appears. By the way, by the illuminated side of the Moon, you can always determine which side the Sun is on, even if it is hidden behind the horizon.
The duration of a complete change of all lunar phases It is customary to call the synodic month and it ranges from 29.25 to 29.83 Earth solar days. The duration of the synodic month varies due to the elliptical shape of the lunar orbit.
On the new moon, the disk of the Moon is absolutely invisible in the night sky, since at that time it is located as close as possible to the Sun and at the same time faces the Earth at night.
Next comes the new moon phase. During this period of time, for the first time in a synodic month, the Moon becomes visible in the night sky in the form of a narrow crescent and can be observed at dusk a few minutes before it sets.
Next comes the first quarter. This is the phase in which exactly half of its visible part is illuminated, as in the last quarter. The only difference is that in the first quarter, the proportion of the illuminated part at this moment increases.
The full moon is the phase in which the lunar disk is visible clearly and completely. During the full moon, for several hours, one can observe the so-called opposition effect, in which the brightness of the lunar disk noticeably increases, while its size remains the same. This phenomenon is explained quite simply: for an earthly observer, at this moment all shadows on the surface of the Moon disappear.
There are also phases of the growing, waning and old moon. All of them are characterized by a very narrow crescent of the Moon, a greyish-ashy color typical of these phases.
From all of the above, we can conclude that, in fact, nothing obscures the Moon. It just changes the angle of its illumination by the sun's rays.
Our planet - the Earth - looks like a beautiful glowing blue ball from space. Lots of people revolve around it. artificial satellites and only one natural - called the Moon. It is the brightest object we can see in the night sky. Although there are about 400 thousand kilometers between the Earth and the Moon, they are closely connected and able to influence each other. The moon interacts with all earthly nature, activating, for example, the tides of the sea. However, these two celestial bodies have quite a few differences from each other. What are they? Let's try to give an answer.
Earth- the only one of all the planets solar system on which there is life.
Comparison
Earth 81 times bigger moon by weight. The radius of the Moon is about three and a half times smaller than the radius of the Earth.
The earth is surrounded by the geosphere - a gaseous shell with various impurities. There is practically no atmosphere on the Moon, no oxygen, no wind. Therefore, during the day, the surface of the Moon from the scorching Sun heats up to 120 ° C, and at night it can cool down to -160 ° C. During the day the Earth is light, at night it is dark. On the Moon, even during the day, the sky is always black and cloudless: with a bright Sun, the sky is strewn with stars. From Earth, the sky appears blue: the air gives it that color. The sun's rays are scattered, and the stars are not visible during the day. The Earth reflects sunlight about 50 times more than the Moon.
Most of the Earth is occupied by seas and oceans, a smaller part by continents and islands. The surface of the Moon is made up of mountainous terrain and lunar seas (huge craters filled with solidified lava). The lunar mountains most likely formed after the impact of huge meteorites with the surface, while the mountains on Earth are the result of tectonic processes. The moon is covered with a mixture of rocky debris and fine dust, the so-called regolith, up to several tens of meters thick. On the Moon, unlike the Earth, there is no volcanic activity and virtually no water (apart from a small supply of ice). The earth's surface is constantly exposed to water and wind, the surface of the moon is not eroded or weathered.
The Moon's magnetic field is very weak. On the Moon, gravity is six times less than on Earth. Chemical composition both the Earth and the Moon are different. For example, the earth contains enough a large number of iron, while on the moon it is practically absent.
Findings site
- The Earth is 81 times heavier than the Moon.
- The radius of the Moon is on average 3.5 times smaller than the radius of the Earth.
- Earth has an atmosphere, oxygen, water, and hence organic life. None of this exists on the moon.
- Day on Earth is light, you can see blue sky, at night it is dark. On the moon, the sky is always black, cloudless.
- The Earth reflects sunlight about 50 times more than the Moon.
- The surface of the Earth is occupied by continents, oceans, seas and islands. Mountains formed on the surface of the moon lunar seas(giant craters).
- On the Moon, gravity is six times less than on Earth.
- The Earth has a magnetic (geomagnetic) field, while the Moon has almost none.
- The chemical composition of the two astronomical objects is different.
