Why Does the Moon Shine
The moon is a large natural satellite that orbits the planet earth. It has no atmosphere and a rocky and dry surface. The moon is the fifth largest natural satellite in the solar system and can be seen from every country on earth. It is a quarter of the diameter of the Earth and has a synchronous rotation with the earth. The gravitational effects of the moon determine the ocean tides. It is the brightest object in the sky after the sun, but actually has a surface which is very dark. You might be wondering, If the surface of the moon is dark why does it shine? Read on to find out.
Why Does the Moon Shine?
The moon acts very similarly to a mirror. Even though the moon does not project its own light it does reflect the light of the sun. The light that we see when we see the moon shining is actually the reflection of the sun’s light on the moon’s surface. Even though the moon looks bright it is only reflecting about 7 percent of the sunlight hitting it. The rest is absorbed by the surface of the moon. The reason that we can only see a partial reflection of the moon at times is because of the moon’s orbit around the earth.
Five Interesting facts about the Moon
It is possible to have a month without a full moon. This can occur in February, but in that same year, either January or March will have two moons.
Only 59% of the moon’s surface is visible from earth. From Earth, we always see the same side of the moon; the other side is always hidden.
Gravity on the Moon is only 17% of the Earth.
The moon moves toward the east in our sky by about 12 degrees each day.
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