Fact Sheet
Page 1
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Moon ABCs Fact Sheet Page 1 |
| Property | Earth | Moon | Brain Busters |
| Equatorial diameter | 12,756 km | 3,476 km | How long would it take to drive around the Moon's equator at 80 km per hour? |
| Surface area | 510 million square km | 37.8 million square km | The Moon's surface area is similar to that of one of Earth's continents. Which one? |
| Mass | 5.98 x 10E24 kg | 7.35 x 10E22 kg | What percentage of Earth's mass is the Moon's mass? |
| Volume | ?? | ?? | Can you calculate the volumes of Earth and the Moon? |
| Density | 5.52 grams per cubic cm | 3.34 grams per cubic cm | Check this by calculating the density from the mass and volume. |
| Surface gravity | 9.8 m/sec/sec | 1.63 m/sec/sec | What fraction of Earth's gravity is the Moon's gravity? |
| Crust | Silicate rocks. Continents dominated by granites. Ocean crust dominated by basalt. | Silicate rocks. Highlands dominated by feldspar-rich rocks and maria by basalt. | What portion of each body is crust? |
| Mantle | Silicate rocks dominated by minerals containing iron and magnesium. | Similar to Earth. | Collect some silicate rocks and determine the density. Is the density greater or lesser than the Earth/Moon's density? Why? |
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Moon ABCs Fact Sheet Page 2 |
| Property | Earth | Moon | Brain Busters |
| Core | Iron, nickel metal | Same, but core is much smaller. | What portion of each body is core? |
| Sediment or Regolith | Silicon and oxygen bound in minerals that contain water, plus organic materials. | Silicon and oxygen bound in minerals, glass produced by meteorite impacts, small amounts of gases (e.g., hydrogen) implanted by the solar wind. No water or organic materials. | Do you think life ever existed on the Moon? Why or why not? |
| Atmosphere (main constituents) | 78 % nitrogen, 21 % oxygen |
Basically none. Some carbon gases, but very little of them. Pressure is about one-trillionth of Earth's atmospheric pressure. | Could you breathe the lunar atmosphere? |
| Length of day (sidereal rotation period) | 23.93 hours | 27.3 Earth days | How long does daylight last on the Moon? |
| Temperature | Air temperature ranges from -88C (winter in polar regions) to 58C (summer in tropical regions). | Surface temperature ranges from -193C (night in polar regions) to 111C (day in equatorial regions). | Why are the temperatures of Earth and the Moon so different? |
| Surface features | 25 percent land (seven continents) with varied terrain of mountains, plains, river valleys. Ocean floor characterized by mountains, plains, and trenches. | 84 percent heavily-cratered highlands. 16 percent basalt-covered maria. Numerous impact craters - some with bright rays, crater chains, and rilles. | Compare maps of Earth and the Moon. Is there any evidence that plate tectonics operated on the Moon? |
Go to Lunar Life Support.