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0
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2answers
69 views

What is our estimated running speed on Moon's surface?

I was wondering if we have the chance to run on the Moon's surface, how would you expect it look like? I expect our velocity will increase for the same work we do on Earth, but not sure if this will ...
4
votes
1answer
262 views

Is there a simple yet accurate formula for where on Earth the Sun and Moon are directly overhead?

I'm trying to improve a site that shows the region of the Earth currently under daylight, and I need a formula that, given the current time, tells where (latitude/longitude) the sun and moon are ...
8
votes
3answers
670 views

Why are there more lunar maria on the near side than on the far side?

It is widely known that the side of the moon that faces us has a particularly large number of dark patches, which resemble seas of liquid, hence, "maria". It is strange, though, that the far side of ...
11
votes
0answers
288 views

Strange things about new moon [duplicate]

I have some strange and infantile questions about new moon. I want to know how is it possible that the Moon is not visible at night and also at day it is not Sun eclipse? I will explain the problem in ...
7
votes
2answers
202 views

Why don't we see solar and lunar eclipses often?

Since we see the new moon at least once in a month when the Moon gets in between of the Sun and the Moon at the night and as far as I know if this happens during the day, you'll get to see a solar ...
13
votes
5answers
2k views

Why do we always see the same side of the Moon?

I am puzzled why we always see the same side of the Moon even though it is rotating around its own axis apart from revolving around the earth. Shouldn't this only be possible if the Moon is not ...
0
votes
1answer
78 views

Has anyone on Earth ever seen the dark side of the moon and if so where are the pictures? [duplicate]

If the Moon rotates then we should see the dark side right? But as far as I know the Moon only shows one side to Earth, how can this be if it is rotating?
4
votes
2answers
180 views

What kind of cooling mechanism could be used in outer space?

This question arises out of this question on Quora - Apollo 11: 1969 Moon Landing: Did Neil Armstrong really land on the moon? I'm convinced with most of the explanations provided in the first ...
4
votes
2answers
115 views

If the moon was rapid enough would it be able to orbit the earth from a close distance?

If the moon was close in orbit that it's surface was like 100 km away from the earth's surface. And it had a large enough angular velocity will it be able to hold orbit? If this was possible, is ...
3
votes
1answer
57 views

Where can I search for high quality telescope images of Earth's moon?

I am developing a sensor calibration capability that compares a telescope lunar observation to a physics-based radiometric model. I'd like to find some high quality lunar images to test our ...
1
vote
3answers
260 views

Speed of the Moon

Why the motion of the Moon looks very slow in the sky? Doesn't it need the high speed in order to escape the earth's gravity?
2
votes
2answers
80 views

Spot of my light on the moon

This is a funny question, but worth answering. The distance between the moon and the Earth is 384,400 km. The speed of light is 299792.458 km/s. It will take 1.3 seconds (Approx.) for my laser beam to ...
12
votes
3answers
13k views

Why does the moon sometimes appear giant and a orange red color near the horizon?

I've read various ideas about why the moon looks larger on the horizon. The most reasonable one in my opinion is that it is due to how our brain calculates (perceives) distance, with objects high ...
10
votes
1answer
533 views

When will the Moon reach escape velocity?

From what I know, the Moon is accelerating away from the Earth. Do we know when it will reach escape velocity? How do we calculate this?
0
votes
1answer
32 views

What role has our Moon played in creating a persistent geomagnetic field?

The question comes from a comment by Mark Rovetta on my earlier question about the Earth's core going cold.
15
votes
8answers
12k views

Why doesn't the Moon fall upon Earth?

Why doesn't the Moon, or for that matter anything rotating another larger body, ever fall into the larger body?
2
votes
2answers
55 views

Re: recoil (bounce) of objects under varying gravitational forces

First, I don't have a strong knowledge of physics, so please forgive my lack of precision in defining my question. Consider an airless free-fall situation where a steel ball and a balsa ball (with ...
2
votes
2answers
124 views

How does earth carry moon with it, if it can not force moon to touch it by gravitational force?

earth's gravitational force is acting on its moon in such a way that it forces moon to rotate round its orbit by centripetal force and carries it while rotating round the sun by gravitational force. I ...
4
votes
0answers
81 views

What can be the lightest possible moon launch vehicle?

I tried calculating this, but it gets too complicated. Assume, we have a Moon orbit station and ISS on Earth orbit. We have a Moon base. We want to send a tourist for a week on the Moon and back. We ...
6
votes
2answers
221 views

Is it possible that I just saw Jupiter's moons?

Today at about 18:00 I was looking for Venus near the moon and I saw a short bright line. I thought that maybe I was seeing Venus' crescent but it was perpendicular to the crescent of the moon. I then ...
2
votes
0answers
39 views

Does Celestia take the lunar orbit precession into account?

Does the lunar orbit plane rotate (8 year period precession)? Does Celestia take this into account while drawing the moon orbit?
5
votes
1answer
6k views

Is the moon a planet?

Can our moon qualify as a planet? With regard or without regard to the exact definition of the planet, can the moon be considered as planet as Mercury, Venus and Earth etc. not as the satellite of the ...
5
votes
1answer
42 views

Best observing techniques for a Total Lunar Eclipse?

Is there any good tricks to observing a total lunar eclipse that I should be aware of? Just wanting to know what to do to be prepared for the upcoming one, but please post in general for future ...
10
votes
1answer
131 views

How long will our artifacts last in moon & space?

Given all the different space probes and equipment that have been either launched into space or lying on the moon. How long will they last before they get decayed into dust or some unrecognizable ...
0
votes
2answers
138 views

Planet's Moon attrated by sun [closed]

I'm currently writing a code to generate solar system and $N$ number of planets / moons. I use real data to test (earth / sun / moon data). I succeeded in placing the earth and make it orbit around ...
9
votes
3answers
11k views

The Moon during the day

Why do we see the Moon during the day only on certain days and not every day?
3
votes
1answer
46 views

How do the “tidal forces warming moons” theories hold when apart from heating from expansion, there may be also cooling from contraction?

I can understand a temporary heating, from the tital forces exerted on the moon but wouldn't there be cooling as well eventually when particles "give in" to contraction? Wouldn't they eventually net a ...
10
votes
1answer
37 views

Why did the june 2011 lunar eclipse last so long?

It was kind of hard to miss the lunar eclipse this week, although I didn't see it in person (Sod's law means that on every relatively major astronomical event clouds cover where I am). From what I ...
22
votes
4answers
2k views

Why is a new moon not the same as a solar eclipse?

Forgive the elementary nature of this question: Because a new moon occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun, doesn't this also mean that somewhere on the Earth, a solar eclipse ...
8
votes
4answers
247 views

Can a moon have another large body as a satellite, and are there any examples of such?

In my mind, I'm comparing it to the Sun-Earth-Moon system. After all, the Earth is primarily a satellite of the Sun, but the Moon is still gravitationally bound to the Earth. Could something like this ...
7
votes
2answers
33 views

Where to find Lunar Eclipse data

I am wondering whether there's a good resource to find data about upcoming Lunar Eclipses. For example, showing the percentage of the eclipse over time. Such as: 17:23 GMT - 0%, 17:40 GMT - 10%, etc. ...
15
votes
3answers
444 views

Does the Moon's core still contain significant heat?

On earth, using earth-sheltering techniques can significantly reduce the temperature fluctuations on a structure. Would the same statement be true as well on the Moon? Does the Moon's core still ...
4
votes
1answer
186 views

If the Moon had gravity as good as the Earth and a magnetic field could it have supported life?

If the Moon had gravity as good as Earth and a magnetic field could it have supported life? Because if the Moon had gravity, it could have retained water more than is present today on the surface. ...
15
votes
1answer
624 views

How can the Moon have such a strong effect on the ocean?

The gravitational acceleration on Earth is approximately $ 10 \mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}^2 $. Compared to this, the tidal effect of the Moon's gravity gives a local variation in the acceleration of ...
2
votes
1answer
99 views

Can you tell just from its gravity whether the Moon is above or below you?

If you are on a place of Earth where the Moon is currently directly above or directly below you, you experience a slightly reduced gravitational acceleration because of Moon's gravity. This is what ...
5
votes
2answers
107 views

In what ways can a lunar eclipse occur?

In what ways can a lunar eclipse occur? Also, on what percentage of the Earth are they usually viewable? I am aware that there are multiple configurations that constitute a lunar eclipse (umbral, ...
10
votes
2answers
395 views

Observing Jupiter's non-Galilean moons

What strength of telescope is required to observe some of the non-Galilean moons of Jupiter? My current telescope at 50 magnification resolves the Galilean moons well, but I'm guessing it's far ...
2
votes
1answer
146 views

The Moon is slowly moving away from the earth. Does this mean that a total solar eclipse wasn't possible at some point in earth's history?

When the moon was closer to earth, was it still possible to witness a total solar eclipse millions of years ago? Or was the view-able space so small that it was impractical to even witness it?
3
votes
1answer
52 views

Phases of the moon video

I am an educator, and I am looking for a specific video. In the video, they ask some middle school students and some college graduates about why the moon has phases. Most of the students in both the ...
3
votes
0answers
12 views

How did the radiative flux of each gas giant planet change with respect to time (since their formation)?

We know that each gas giant planet was warmest when it was young. This warmth came from internal heating from both radioactive decay and from gravitational potential energy. This warmth, in turn, ...
7
votes
2answers
63 views

What distinguishes a moon from orbiting space debris? Or in other words, when is a satellite “too small” to be a moon?

The Wikipedia article on Natural Satellites doesn't really give an adequate distinction as to what distinguishes a moon from other orbiting bodies. What I am looking for is a classification that ...
4
votes
1answer
70 views

Does the Earth help stabilize changes in the moon's obliquity as well?

We know that the moon helps stabilize changes in Earth's obliquity. But what about Earth and the moon? Are some of the obliquity-stabilizing effects (of the moon on the Earth) communicated through ...
3
votes
1answer
93 views

How do the day/night temperature variations of moons compare to those of their planets?

Does the planet's eclipse have a significant impact on the flux of light hitting the moon? Does tidal locking have any effect on the day-night difference of the planet?
5
votes
1answer
52 views

Shadow of a Jovian moon over the Great Red Spot

Where can I find pictures of the shadow of any of the Jovian moons partially covering the Great Red Spot? A series of such pictures over time would even be better. The idea is to learn more about the ...
1
vote
1answer
689 views

Why don't we see solar and lunar eclipses often? [duplicate]

Since we see the new moon at least once in a month when the Moon gets in between of the Sun and the Moon at the night and as far as I know if this happens during the day, you'll get to see a solar ...
12
votes
1answer
162 views

Impact location that created the moon

I was reading an article today about the 1000th orbit of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and as many of you know NASA created an animation that simulates the history of the moon. It is speculated ...
7
votes
1answer
301 views

Is there any evidence for the claim that the moon was once part of the Earth?

There is a hypothesis that says a part of the Earth was split away and became the Moon. Is there any scientific evidence for this claim?
6
votes
2answers
35 views

Scientific value of timing total lunar occultations

Is there still scientific value in timing and reporting total lunar occultations? Why would I time total lunar occultations (grazing occultations are out of the question)? When I reported ...
3
votes
1answer
121 views

Stability of moons around tidally locked exoplanets

Can someone send me pointers to work (either theoretical or simulations) showing (in)stability of satellite orbits around tidally locked exoplanets? I want to know firstly if satellite orbits can ...
4
votes
3answers
35 views

How can one predict the length of the Synodic month? Why is it irregular?

I'd like to write a program that uses the exact (down to the second) amount of time from one new moon (or full moon) to the next. Yet, I am told that this period is irregular. Yet, it seems to be ...

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