Sam Bell
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The Earth and the Moon form the Earth-Moon satellite system with a shared center of mass, or barycenter. This barycenter is 1,700 km (1,100 mi) (about a quarter of Earth's radius) beneath the Earth's surface. The Moon's orbit is slightly elliptical, with an orbital eccentricity of 0.055. [1]
Earth's Moon is the brightest and largest object in our night sky. The Moon makes Earth a more livable planet by moderating our home planet's wobble on its axis, leading to a relatively stable climate. It also causes tides, creating a rhythm that has guided humans for thousands of years.
Jun 27, 2024 · Moon, Earth’s sole natural satellite and nearest celestial body. Known since prehistoric times, it is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun. Its name in English, like that of Earth, is of Germanic and Old English derivation.
Explore the moon's surface with Google Moon's interactive maps and detailed imagery.
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It goes around the Earth at a distance of about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers). The Earth and Moon are tidally locked. Their rotations are so in sync we only see one side of the Moon. Humans didn't see the lunar far side until a Soviet spacecraft flew past in 1959.
As you sail onward, you see our planet and its Moon locked together in their endless, circling, gravitational embrace. Your distant view gives you a unique perspective on the Moon that can be hard to visualize from the ground, where the Moon appears to sweep through the sky as an ever-changing globe of light.
The Moon was likely formed after a Mars-sized body collided with Earth several billion years ago. Earth's Moon is the only place beyond Earth where humans have set foot, so far. Earth's only natural satellite is simply called "the Moon" because people didn't know other moons existed until Galileo Galilei discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter ...
Jun 13, 2024 · The Moon displays these eight phases one after the other as it moves through its cycle each month. It takes about 27.3 days for the Moon to orbit Earth. However, because of how sunlight hits the Moon, it takes about 29.5 days to go from one new moon to the next new moon. Here’s what the Moon looks like right now from Earth:
NASA’s interactive map for observing the Moon each day of the year. Find key sites and landmarks, check out special Moon events throughout the year, and more.
Sep 7, 2023 · The Moon is Earth’s only permanent natural satellite, and it’s the fifth-largest satellite in our solar system. The Moon’s diameter is approximately 2,160 miles (3,475 kilometers), or...
