Moon Notes Formation Theories of our Moon Fender

Moon Notes

Formation Theories of our Moon

Fender Bender – Earth and another large object collided causing a chunk of material to fly off and form our moon

Captive – our moon was traveling past Earth when it was captured by Earth’s gravity

Sister – our moon and Earth formed at the same time in close proximity to each other

Daughter – our Earth was spinning so fast when it first formed that it slung off some material which formed the moon

Maria – dark level patches on the moon once thought to be seas, caused by lava flow

Highlands – light patches on the moon which indicate mountainous regions

Terminator – the line separating day from night on any satellite including the moon

Craters – impact basins from meteorite crashes

Impact Crater on Earth

Ejecta rays – white lines of debris coming out of impact craters on the moon

Phases of the Moon – the moon undergoes 7 phases throughout the lunar month (every 29 days)

New Moon

Waxing Crescent

First Quarter

Waxing Gibbous

Full Moon

Waning Gibbous

Third Quarter

Waning Crescent

Back to New Moon

Lunar Eclipse – when the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon Lunar Eclipse – occurs when the earth’s shadow falls on the moon when the Earth comes between the moon and the Sun

Solar Eclipse – when the moon comes between the Earth and the Sun causing the sunlight to be blocked from Earth