5 interesting facts about the moon. Mysterious, inexplicable and interesting facts about the moon

The Moon is the closest cosmic body to us, the most visible object in the night sky. It is not surprising that it is also the most studied and the only one on the surface of which a human foot has set foot. However, it cannot be said that everything is known about the Moon. She still hasn't revealed some of her secrets. Some interesting facts about the Moon have a generally accepted explanation, but periodically receive an alternative interpretation.

Characteristics of the night star

The moon is the only satellite of our planet. It makes one revolution around the Earth in about 27.32 days. In this case, the satellite orbit has a somewhat elongated shape. The average distance that separates us from the night star is a little less than 400 thousand kilometers. The most significant facts about the moon for children are, perhaps, the change of phases and the fact that you can fly to it. Adult amateur astronomers of all times and peoples were interested in its origin, influence on the weather of the Earth and on the fate of people.

Legends of the Moon

The satellite of the Earth is the hero of many myths. Some of them explain the appearance of the Moon in the sky, the other tells what caused the phase change. Almost all peoples, among others, honored the personification of the moon, god or goddess. In Greek mythology, it was primarily Selene, whose name was subsequently given to the science that studies the Earth's satellite (selenology).

The legends about the Moon, explaining why it is now full, then turns into a month, were often associated with tragic events in the life of the luminary. Among the Balts, the formidable thunder god Perkunas punished the Moon for betraying the beautiful Sun, cutting it into pieces. In Siberia, a myth is known about how the night star descended to Earth and was caught by an evil sorceress. The sun tried to snatch the moon from the hands of the witch, but as a result it was torn into two parts.

There were also numerous plots that explained the well-marked spots on the face of the luminary. For some peoples, this is a man exiled as a punishment, for others, a beast living on the moon.

An amazing coincidence

Many legends explain and solar eclipses. Today, when listing interesting facts about the Moon, its role in this phenomenon is often omitted as well-known. Nevertheless, it is the eclipse that clearly demonstrates one curious moment: the combination of the distance from the Sun to the Moon and from the night star to the Earth and the size of the Moon seem to be specially selected. If the incarnation of the ancient Greek Selene is located a little further or closer, or if its size were different, we would either not know what full eclipse, or did not have the opportunity to admire the solar corona. The moon "hangs" in such a way that the daylight is periodically completely placed behind it, showing only a beautiful frame.

Moreover, they surprise numerical values parameters: the distance from the Earth to the Moon is, as already noted, about 400 thousand kilometers, and this is 400 times less than to the Sun, and the night luminary itself is also 400 times smaller than the daytime luminary. These facts about the moon are often used as evidence for the theory of its artificial origin.

Hypothesis

A similar opinion was expressed by Mikhail Vasin and Soviet scientists in the 1960s. They supported their theory with information that all the craters, covering the surface of the satellite in a huge number, with different areas, have approximately the same depth - no more than three kilometers. This may be due to the presence of a solid structure located under the surface of the night star.

Today, in various articles on the web, the hypothesis of the artificial origin of the satellite is included in a list called "Secret Facts about the Moon." However, the generally accepted this moment is considered a theory suggesting an "earthly beginning". According to her, about 4.5 billion years ago, our planet collided with a space object similar in size to Mars. He knocked out a piece of matter, which later became a satellite. However, the final point has not yet been made in the dispute: the available information is not yet enough to confidently assert that everything happened in this way.

colorful

One of the American cosmonauts, for the first time looking at the Moon from the porthole of a spaceship, compared its surface with sand on a dirty beach. From the Earth, the satellite does not look so dull. Interesting Facts about the moon are also related to its visible color.

Most of the time, the month is painted in ash gray, but there are cases in history when a blue moon appeared in the sky. Color is associated with the appearance of an additional "filter" that prevents the passage of light rays. This is possible during extensive fires or volcanic eruptions. Large particles compared to air molecules allow light waves to scatter, along their length corresponding to the blue color and its shades. Such a case was recorded in 1950, when, as a result of a fire on peat bogs over Albert (province in Canada), the Moon, painted in blue, hung.

two full moons

The expression "blue moon" has another meaning. Since the night star goes through all the phases in less than 28 days, sometimes two full moons fall in one month. The second one was called the "blue moon". The phenomenon is observed a little less than once every 2.72 years. The next one will be in July 2015: the first full moon is on the 2nd, and the blue moon is on the 31st.

bloody

The most interesting thing about the Moon and its color in the coming year can be found out by looking at the sky on April 4 and September 28. The blood moon will rise these days. The satellite acquires such an ominous shade due to the refraction of the rays of the Sun in the Earth's atmosphere. The glow of the moon, in principle, is always the reflected radiation of the daylight. The difference these days is that the full moon coincides with sunset or sunrise. Red - the same color, "dressed" in which the daylight appears before us, falling below the horizon or rising above it.

reflected twice

Another phenomenon, not uncommon, but interesting, is connected with the emitted light. Everyone has known about the Moon since childhood: it successively goes through 4 phases and only in one of them, on the full moon, you can admire the fully illuminated satellite. However, it also happens that a month hangs in the sky, and the entire disk is visible and sometimes quite clearly. This is the so-called ashen light of the moon. The phenomenon occurs either some time before the new moon, or shortly after it. The satellite, illuminated only in a small part, is nevertheless completely visible, since part of the sunlight is first scattered in the earth's atmosphere, then falls on the surface of the moon, and then is again reflected on our planet.

According to the features of the ashy light of the satellite, forecasts are made about changes in weather conditions. The possibility of predictions exists due to the connection of an optical phenomenon with the nature of the cloudiness on that part of the Earth that is currently illuminated by the Sun. In European Russia, bright ashy light, which is the result of reflections of rays from cyclonic activity in the Atlantic, portends precipitation in about a week.

On and on

Interesting facts about the Moon are not limited to optical phenomena. Another curious point is connected with its remoteness from the Earth. The satellite is getting further and further away from our planet every year. For twelve months, the distance increases by 4 cm. The removal of the satellite is a consequence of the gravitational-tidal interaction between it and our planet. The moon, as you know, causes tides on Earth, not only on the water, but also in the crust, less noticeable in amplitude, but with a much longer wavelength. They, in turn, affect the satellite: due to some features of our planet, the tidal waves around its axis are somewhat ahead of the satellite. As a result, everything that is contained in such waves affects the movement of the satellite, attracting it and forcing it to revolve around the planet faster. This is the reason for the change in its distance from the Earth.

Bright memory

There was a time when scientists, due to lack of data, had little understanding unknown facts of that period ceased to be a secret thanks to the successful flights of spacecraft with astronauts on board. However, those studying the satellite were not always lucky. Part of the astronauts died in the process of preparing for flights. They installed a tiny monument on the Moon only 8 cm high. It is accompanied by a list of all the astronauts who gave their lives in the name of science.

Eternity

Both this monument and the traces of astronauts who walked on the surface of the Moon, as well as a photo of relatives left by one of the crew members, will remain intact on the Moon for many centuries. The satellite of our planet has no atmosphere, there is no wind and water. Nothing can lead to the rapid transformation of traces of human presence into dust.

Near future

NASA is making ambitious plans for the development of the satellite. In 2010, the Avatar project appeared, involving the creation of special robots equipped with a human telepresence function. If the project is implemented, scientists will not need to fly to the moon. To study its features, it will be enough to put on a special remote presence suit, and all the necessary manipulations will be performed by a robot delivered to the satellite.

Earth view

The moon is always turned to us with the same side. The reason for this is the synchronization of the movement of the satellite in orbit and its rotation around the Earth. One of the most memorable sights that the American astronauts saw when they stepped on the surface of the Moon was the view of the Earth. Our planet occupies a significant part of the satellite's sky. Moreover, the Earth hangs motionless, always in the same place, but one or the other side of it is visible. Over time, as a result of the same gravitational-tidal interaction, the rotation of our planet around its axis is synchronized with the movement of the Moon in orbit. The satellite will “hang”, stop moving across the sky, the Earth will “look” at it with only one side. At the same time, the distance separating the two cosmic bodies will cease to increase.

These are 10 interesting facts about the moon. The list, however, is not exhaustive. Reappeared in last years interest in the satellite will still bear fruit, and the already available facts about the Moon, partially mentioned in the article, will be replenished.

It is likely that one of them will be a base on the moon, which is planned to be created for the development of minerals, monitoring earth processes and, of course, the satellite itself.

How far are the nearest planets to us? Probably too far. Spacecraft reach Venus in four months, and Mars will take about two and a half years. But the satellite of our planet, the Moon, is only three days away. About the same time the train goes from Moscow to Abakan. The only difference is that we will go to Abakan by train or fly by plane, and we will have to fly to the Moon by rocket.

Origin

The Moon is the only celestial body that no one has ever doubted that it revolves around the Earth. Also in Ancient Greece scientists created a theory of the movement of the moon, and even learned how to predict solar and lunar eclipses. The lunar calendar appeared even earlier: the ancient Sumerians used it already around 2500 BC.
Where did the so well-known, familiar and long-time familiar Moon come from?
On this account there were many interesting hypotheses. It is believed that a long time ago, a small planet the size of Mars collided with the Earth. As a result of a terrible collision, a significant part of the Earth's substance was ejected into near-Earth orbit and subsequently formed the Moon.

Structure and surface

The moon can be divided into several layers (like all the planets of the solar system). In the very center is a solid iron core, covered with a molten shell of iron. Around the core is a partially melted boundary layer, and then there is a thick layer of rocky mantle.
The topmost layer of the moon is called the crust. At the time of the final formation of the planets solar system The Moon's mantle was liquid, and especially large meteorites, breaking through the Moon's crust, caused magma to flow to the surface.

Subsequently, these areas cooled and darkened. They correspond to the vast dark spots on the lunar surface. Previously, people thought that the dark areas on the moon were filled with water, so they called them seas. When it turned out that there is no atmosphere on the Moon (which means that liquid water cannot be there, since it will immediately freeze or evaporate), the names were not changed, especially since they are very beautiful and romantic: the Sea of ​​Clarity, the Rainbow Bay, the Lake of Dreams , there is even a Sea of ​​Plenty. On the Moon, bright craters with silvery rays diverging in different directions are also noticeable. They were also formed as a result of asteroids falling on the Moon, but much later, when the mantle solidified and did not flow out to the surface after the collision.

Research

The Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 first reached the moon in 1959. Ten years later, American astronaut Neil Armstrong managed to land on the moon.

During the active exploration of the Moon, dozens of scientific experiments were carried out, various soil samples were taken, many photographs and panoramas of the lunar relief were obtained. To date, we know much more about the Moon than about any other large cosmic body with the exception of the Earth. Currently, projects are being developed in various countries to create both inhabited and uninhabited lunar bases. It is quite possible to implement these projects, but some difficulties associated with the lack of atmosphere will have to be overcome. For example, many small asteroids, when falling to the Earth, are heated by friction against the air and burn out before reaching the earth. On the Moon, even a small pebble the size of a fist, hitting a building, can lead to tragedy, easily breaking through almost any defense. Flares on the Sun will also cause a lot of trouble, during which the radiation background is greatly enhanced.

It is possible that the first lunar bases will be built in small caves, which are occasionally found on the surface of the moon. There it will be easier to hide from meteorites and protect yourself from radiation. In addition, it is easier to do from a construction point of view - instead of building the entire base, you only need to close up the entrance and let in air brought from Earth.

moon illusion

When we look at the Moon, which is near the horizon, it seems to us that it is much larger than the Moon that we observed in the sky. This is an optical illusion. What is known about this illusion is that it is really an illusion: the moon does not change its size when traveling through the sky. There are several different theories to explain this effect. According to one of them, how big or small we see an object in the sky depends on the size of other objects that we observe next to it. Thus, when we observe the Moon close to the horizon, other objects fall into our field of vision, against the background of which the Moon seems larger than it really is. This feature of our vision is illustrated by the following picture.

The orange circle on the left, surrounded by large blue circles, appears smaller than the orange circle on the right, surrounded by small blue circles. In reality, the orange circles are the same size. You can see for yourself by printing the picture and measuring the diameters of the circles with a ruler. However, this can be done by attaching a ruler to the monitor.

Interesting

Interestingly, the periods of revolution of the Moon around its own axis and around the Earth are the same. This leads to the fact that the Moon all the time "looks" at the Earth with one side. Because of this feature, we can only observe a little more than half of the lunar surface. Here's what it looks like.

The part of the moon that is not visible to an observer from Earth is called the far side of the moon. The far side of the moon was first photographed by the Soviet lunar station Luna-3 in 1959.

Konstantin Kudinov

Dear friends! If you liked this story and want to keep abreast of new publications about astronautics and astronomy for children, then subscribe to the news of our communities

Perhaps every person at least once in his life looked at the moon. And even schoolchildren know some facts about her. We have collected for our readers not so well-known, but no less interesting facts about the satellite of our planet.

1. The moon appeared as a result of a collision

The moon was created as a result of the collision. Scientists believe that the moon was formed from the debris of the Earth and space object the size of Mars after their collision.

2. 206 thousand 264 moons

In order for the night to be as bright as during the day, about three hundred thousand Moons would be needed, and 206 thousand 264 Moons would have to be in the full moon phase.

3. People always see the same side of the moon

People always see the same side of the moon. The gravitational field of the Earth slows down the rotation of the Moon around its axis. Therefore, the rotation of the Moon around its axis occurs in the same time as its rotation around the Earth.

4 Far Side Of The Moon

The far side of the Moon is more mountainous than that seen from Earth. This is due to the force of gravity of the Earth, which has led to the fact that on the side turned towards our planet, a thinner crust.

5. Moon Tree Seeds

More than 400 trees growing on Earth were brought from the Moon. The seeds of these trees were taken by the Apollo 14 crew in 1971, orbited the moon and returned to Earth.

6 Asteroid Cruitney

Earth may have others natural satellites. The asteroid Cruitney moves in orbital resonance with the Earth and makes a full revolution around the planet in 770 years.

7 Craters On The Surface Of The Moon

Craters on the surface of the Moon were left by meteorites 4.1 - 3.8 billion years ago. They are still visible only because, in geological terms, the Moon is not as active as the Earth.

8. There is water on the moon

There is water on the moon. There is no atmosphere on the Earth's satellite, but there is frozen water in shaded craters and under the soil surface.

9. The moon is not a perfect ball

The moon is not really a perfect ball. It is rather egg-shaped due to the influence of the Earth's gravity. In addition, its center of mass is not located at the center of the cosmic body, but about two kilometers away from the center.

10. Name crater...

The craters of the Moon were first called by the names of famous scientists, artists and explorers, and later by the names of American and Russian cosmonauts.

11. Moonquakes

On the Earth's satellite, there are earth ... moonquakes. They are caused by the gravitational influence of the Earth. Their epicenter is several kilometers below the surface of the moon.

12. Exosphere

The moon has an atmosphere called the exosphere. It is made up of helium, neon and argon.

13. Dancing dust

Dancing dust exists on the moon. It hovers above the surface of the moon (more intense at sunrise or sunset). Dust particles rise up due to electromagnetic forces.

The satellite of the Earth is more like a planet. The Earth and Moon are a double planet system, similar to the Pluto + Charon system.

15. The moon causes the ebb and flow on Earth

The moon causes the tides to ebb and flow on the earth. The gravitational influence of the moon affects the oceans of our planet. The highest tides occur during the full or new moon.

16. The moon is moving away from the Earth

One lunar day is equal to 29.5 days on Earth. On the Moon, it takes 29.5 Earth days for the Sun to cross the entire sky.

19. "Ares I" and "Ares V"

Humans have not landed on the moon for 41 years. However, NASA is working on new Ares I and Ares V rockets that will be able to deliver payloads to the Moon and back.

20. Progress

Smartphones today are far more powerful than the computers used to land Apollo on the Moon.

Especially for those who are interested in geography and interesting facts, we have collected.

Why hide information about cities on the moon

There was a time when no one expected that the space neighbor of the Earth could puzzle scientists with so many mysteries. Many imagined the Moon as a lifeless, cratered stone ball, and on its surface were ancient cities, mysterious huge mechanisms and UFO bases.

Why hide information about the moon?

UFO pictures taken by astronauts of lunar expeditions have long been published. The facts show that all American flights to the moon took place under the complete control of the aliens. What did the first man see on the moon? Let us recall the words of Neil Armstrong intercepted by American radio amateurs:

Armstrong: "What is this? What the hell is the matter? I would like to know the truth, what is it?

NASA: "What's happening? Is something wrong?

Armstrong: "There are big objects here, sir! Huge! Oh my God! Here are other spaceships! They are on the other side of the crater. They are on the moon and watching us!”

Much later, rather curious reports appeared in the press, which said that the Americans on the Moon were directly given to understand: the place is occupied, and earthlings have nothing to do here ... Allegedly, almost hostile actions even took place on the part of aliens.

Yes, astronauts. Cernan And Schmitt observed the mysterious explosion of the lunar module antenna. One of them transmitted to the command module in orbit: “Yes, she exploded. Something flew over her just before that... it's still...” At this time, another astronaut enters the conversation: "God! I thought we'd be run over by this... this... just look at this thing!"

After lunar expeditions Wernher von Braun said: “There are extraterrestrial forces that are much stronger than we thought. I don't have the right to say anything more about it."

Apparently, the inhabitants of the Moon did not welcome the envoys of the Earth very warmly, since the Apollo program was terminated ahead of schedule, and the three ships that were already ready remained unused. Apparently, the meeting was so cool that both the USA and the USSR forgot about the Moon for decades, as if there was nothing interesting on it.

After the famous panic in the USA that arose in October 1938, the authorities of this country do not risk injuring their citizens with reports of the reality of aliens. Indeed, then, during the broadcast of the novel by H. Wells "The War of the Worlds" on the radio, thousands of people thought that the Martians had actually attacked the Earth. Some fled the cities in a panic, others hid in basements, others built barricades and prepared to repel the invasion of terrible monsters with weapons in their hands...

Not surprisingly, all information about aliens on the moon was classified. As it turned out, not only the presence of aliens on the Earth’s satellite was hidden from the world community, but also the presence of ruins of ancient cities, mysterious structures and mechanisms.

Ruins of grandiose buildings

October 30, 2007 former Head of the NASA Lunar Laboratory Photographic Service Ken Johnston and writer Richard Hoagland staged a press conference in Washington, reports of which immediately appeared in all world news channels. And this is not surprising, because it was a sensation that caused the effect of an exploding bomb. Johnston and Hoagland said that at one time American astronauts discovered on the moon ruins of ancient cities And artifacts, talking about the existence of some highly developed civilization on it in the distant past.

At a press conference, photographs of objects of obviously artificial origin present on the lunar surface were shown. As Johnston admitted, NASA from lunar photographic materials coming into the public domain, all details that could arouse suspicion of their artificial origin were removed.

“I saw with my own eyes how, in the late 60s, NASA employees were ordered to paint over the moon sky on the negatives,” recalls Johnston. - When I asked: “Why?”, They explained to me: “In order not to mislead the astronauts, because the sky on the Moon is black!”

According to Ken, in a number of shots against the black sky, intricate configurations appeared as white stripes, which were the ruins of grandiose buildings that once reached a few kilometers high.

Of course, if such pictures were made freely available, uncomfortable questions would not be avoided. Richard Hoagland showed reporters a picture of a grandiose structure - a tower of glass, which the Americans called the "castle". Perhaps this is one of the tallest structures found on the moon.

Hoagland made a rather interesting statement: “Both NASA and the Soviet space program have separately found that we are not alone in the universe. There are ruins on the moon, the heritage of a culture that was much more enlightened than we are now.".

So that the sensation does not become a shock

By the way, in the second half of the 1990s, a similar briefing on the topic was already held. The official press release then read: “On March 21, 1996, at a briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, NASA scientists and engineers who participated in the implementation of the Moon and Mars exploration programs reported on the results of processing the information received. For the first time, the existence of artificial structures and man-made objects on the Moon was announced.

Of course, already at that briefing, journalists asked why such sensational facts were hidden for so long? Here is the answer of one of the NASA employees, which sounded then: “...20 years ago it was difficult to predict how people would react to the message that someone was or is on the moon in our time. In addition, there were other non-NASA reasons.".

It is worth noting that NASA seems to have intentionally leaked information about extraterrestrial intelligence on the Moon. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the fact that George Leonard, who published his book There's Someone Else on Our Moon in 1970, based it on numerous photographs accessed by NASA. It is curious that the entire circulation of his book almost instantly disappeared from store shelves. It is believed that it could be bought in bulk so that the book would not be widely distributed.

Leonard writes in his book: “We were assured of the complete lifelessness of the Moon, but the data suggests otherwise. Decades before the space age, astronomers mapped hundreds of strange 'domes', observed 'cities that grow', and single lights, explosions, geometric shadows were seen by both professionals and amateurs..

He gives an analysis of numerous photographs in which he was able to distinguish both artificial structures and gigantic mechanisms of amazing dimensions. There is a feeling that the Americans have developed a plan for the gradual preparation of their population, and humanity as a whole, to the idea that an extraterrestrial civilization has settled on the moon.

Most likely, this plan included even myth about the lunar scam: well, since the Americans did not fly to the moon, it means that all reports about aliens and cities on the earth's satellite cannot be considered reliable.

So, first there was a book by George Leonard, which was not widely distributed, then a briefing in 1996, information about which attracted wider attention, and finally a press conference in 2007, which became a worldwide sensation. And this did not lead to any shocks, because there was no official statement from the American authorities, and even from NASA itself.

Will terrestrial archaeologists be allowed on the moon?

Richard Hoagland was fortunate enough to obtain photographs taken by Apollo 10 and Apollo 16, in which the Sea of ​​Crises is clearly visible city. The pictures show towers, spiers, bridges and viaducts. The city is located under a transparent dome, in some places damaged by large meteorites. This dome, like many structures on the moon, is made of a material that looks like crystal or fiberglass.

Ufologists write that, according to NASA and Pentagon secret research, "crystal", from which lunar structures are made, in its structure resembles steel, and in terms of strength and durability, it has no terrestrial analogues.

Who created transparent domes, lunar cities, "crystal" castles and towers, pyramids, obelisks and other artificial structures, sometimes reaching the size of several kilometers?

Some researchers suggest that millions, and maybe tens of thousands of years ago, the Moon served as a transshipment base for some kind of extraterrestrial civilization that had its own goals on Earth.

There are other hypotheses as well. According to one of them, the lunar cities were built by a powerful earthly civilization that died as a result of a war or a global cataclysm.

Deprived of support from Earth, the lunar colony withered and ceased to exist. Of course, the ruins of lunar cities are of great interest to scientists. Their study could provide answers to many questions related to ancient history terrestrial civilization, perhaps, could learn some high technologies.

It is 384,467 kilometers.

2. The surface of the moon is made up of a mixture of dust and debris that is formed as a result of meteorite collisions with the lunar surface. This soil is called regolith.

How the moon was formed

3. According to the most common theory, the Moon was formed 4.51 billion years ago as a result of a collision of a young Earth with a celestial body called Theia. From the material and debris ejected during the collision, the Moon was formed, which began to orbit with a radius of about 60 thousand kilometers.

4. Due to the rarefied atmosphere of the Moon, high temperature drops occur on its surface: from -173 ° C at night to +127 ° C during the day.

5. Due to the almost complete absence of an atmosphere, the sky on the Moon is always black and with stars, even when it is above the horizon.

6. The tides on Earth are caused by the gravitational influence of the Moon.

7. Currently, the Moon is the only celestial body that has been visited by man.

8. The moon stabilizes the tilt of the earth's axis and gradually slows the rotation of the earth.

9. Since the period of revolution of the Moon around its axis is equal to the period of its revolution around the Earth, the Moon always faces the same side to our planet.

10. For a long time scientists could not get information about the far side of the moon: this became possible only with the advent of spacecraft. For the first time, scientists managed to look at the far side of the Moon in 1959, when the Soviet station Luna-3 flew over it and photographed part of its surface invisible from the Earth.

11. The surface of the Moon is seismically active. Moonquakes are weaker than earthquakes, but usually last more than 10 minutes, while wobbles on Earth last no more than two minutes.

12. Water on the Moon was first discovered by Soviet researchers in 1978. The fact was established as a result of the analysis of samples delivered by the Soviet probe. Currently, at least 600 million tons of water have been found on the Moon, which is mostly in the form of ice.

13. There is the largest crater on the Moon. The South Pole - Aitken basin, 2250 kilometers in diameter and 12 kilometers deep, appeared as a result of a collision with another celestial body.

14. Dark spots on the surface of the Moon are lunar seas, which are lowlands filled with basalt lava. Previously, such formations were considered ordinary seas, but when this was refuted, the name was not changed.

15. The lunar crust has a strong crust 60-80 kilometers thick. The thickness of the crust on Earth ranges from 6 kilometers under the ocean to 30-70 kilometers on land.

16. The moon was first reached by the Soviet spacecraft Luna-2 in 1959. The first landing of a man on the moon took place in 1969 with the help of the American spacecraft Apollo 11.

17. After the end of the Soviet space program "Luna" and the American "" exploration of the moon with the help of spacecraft were practically stopped. As of 2018, the last manned landing on the moon took place in December 1972.

18. The equatorial diameter of the Moon is 3,476 kilometers, which is almost 4 times less than the equatorial diameter of our planet - 12,756 kilometers.

Bootprint on the Moon

19. Due to the almost complete absence of the atmosphere on the Moon, and as a result of this - winds, the traces left by astronauts on the surface of the Moon can persist for millions of years.

20. Only 12 people have been on the moon as part of 6 flights under the American Apollo program. Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the surface of the moon.

21. The Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, but it is also 400 times closer to the Earth than the Sun, so from the surface of our planet, the Moon and the Sun look about the same size.

22. Due to tidal synchronization, the Moon is moving away from the Earth by about 38 millimeters per year. In millions of years, this tiny change, plus an increase in the Earth's day by 23 microseconds per year, will lead to significant changes. So, for example, in the Devonian period (about 410 million years ago) there were 400 days in a year, and a day lasted 21.8 hours.

23. The lunar day and night last for 15 Earth days, since the period of revolution of the Moon relative to the Sun (the synodic month) is almost 29.5 Earth days.

24. The Moon is 81 times lighter than the Earth.

The only sculpture on the moon

25. The Soviet "Lunokhod-1" became the first vehicle that successfully reached the surface of the Moon and completed its tasks. It was taken to the moon in 1970.

26. There is only one sculpture on the Moon, depicting an astronaut in a spacesuit, lying on his back. Next to it, a tablet is stuck into the ground, perpetuating the names of 8 US astronauts and 6 USSR cosmonauts, who by that time had died or died. The sculpture "The Fallen Astronaut" was installed in 1971 in the Hadley - Apennines area by the commander of "Apollo 15" David Scott. The author of the sculpture is the Belgian artist Paul van Heydonk.

27. Speaking about the color of the lunar soil (regolith), Neil Armstrong noted: “When you look at the soil up close or in your hand, you find that it is actually coal gray, and we couldn’t really find anything different from this color.”

28. The compass won't work on the moon because it doesn't have a uniform magnetic field.

29. For the first time, lunar soil was delivered to Earth in 1969 by the crew of the American spacecraft Apollo 11.

30. Although the Moon appears bright in the night sky, it only reflects 5-18% of the sunlight.

Earthrise, first photographed from lunar orbit by Apollo 8