Amusing Lunar Facts

Amusing Lunar Facts

What is the Moon? It is not a planet, although many scientists may think of it as one! It is a satellite of the Earth. In other words, it is a big chunk of rock, orbiting the Earth and is kept within a certain distance from the Earth (approx. 238,866 miles away) because of the Earth’s gravitational pull. Without that gravitational pull, the Moon would move farther out into space away from the Earth. Also, the Moon’s gravity affects our ocean tides. Obviously, as with astrology, there is a fine balance between the Sun, Moon and Earth.

The Moon is larger than Pluto with a diameter of approximately 2,160 miles. It takes approximately 27.3 days to travel all the way around the earth, moving at a rate of a little over one-half mile each second. According to some scientists, the Moon’s rate of orbit is slowing down…