#the Moon
Questions about “the Moon”.
8 articles
What does space smell like?
With no air in space, there is nothing to sniff. Yet astronauts describe “the smell of space” in remarkably similar terms.
Is the Moon really drifting away from Earth?
At about the pace your fingernails grow, the Moon is slowly taking its leave. And the price Earth pays for it turns out to be time itself.
Did Beethoven name the “Moonlight” Sonata?
A quiet rocking accompaniment, a slow melody rising above it: the famous first movement. Where its lovely title came from has been the subject of a recent discovery.
Why can’t we see the far side of the Moon?
For thousands of years, humanity has looked up at the same lunar markings. There’s a good reason the Moon’s other half stays hidden.
How long will footprints last on the Moon?
More than half a century ago, Apollo astronauts left footprints on the Moon. They are often said to last for millions of years, but a spacecraft that has kept watch over the lunar surface revealed something unexpected.
Does the Moon have earthquakes?
No air, no oceans, and volcanoes that seem to have gone quiet long ago. Yet the ground on the Moon turned out to be far from still.
Why does the Moon look bigger near the horizon?
A full Moon just rising over the hills can look astonishingly large. Yet in a photo, it somehow shrinks. It’s a puzzle that has baffled people for more than 2,000 years.
How did the Moon form?
It is the most familiar object in the night sky, yet scientists are still debating how it came to be. The clues came from rocks that astronauts brought home.