The Moon🌙🌕

 The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It orbits at an average distance of 384,400 km (238,900 mi), about 30 times Earth's diameter. The Moon always presents the same side to Earth, because gravitational pull has locked its rotation to the planet. This results in the lunar day of 29.5 Earth days matching the lunar month. The Moon's gravitational pull – and to a lesser extent the Sun's – are the main drivers of the tides.

 

                 Designation

Earth I

Alternative names

LunaSelene (poetic)Cynthia (poetic)

Adjectives

LunarSelenian (poetic)Cynthian (poetic)Moonly (poetic)

  symbol: 

☾ or ☽

Orbital characteristics

Epoch J2000

Perigee

362600 km

(356400–370400 km)

Apogee

405400 km

(404000–406700 km)

Semi-major axis

384399 km  (1.28 ls, 0.00257 AU)

Eccentricity

0.0549

Orbital period (sidereal)

27.321661 d

(27 d 7 h 43 min 11.5 s)

Orbital period (synodic)

29.530589 d

(29 d 12 h 44 min 2.9 s)

Average orbital speed

1.022 km/s

Inclination

5.145° to the ecliptic.

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Longitude of ascending node

Regressing by one revolution in 18.61 years

Argument of perigee

Progressing by one

revolution in 8.85 years

Satellite of

Earth

Physical characteristics:

Mean radius

1737.4 km  

(0.2727 of Earth's)

Equatorial radius

1738.1 km  

(0.2725 of Earth's)

Polar radius

1736.0 km  

(0.2731 of Earth's)

Flattening

0.0012

Circumference

10921 km  (equatorial)

Surface area

3.793×107 km2  

(0.074 of Earth's)

Volume

2.1958×1010 km3  

(0.02 of Earth's)

Mass

7.342×1022 kg  

(0.0123 of Earth's)

Mean density

3.344 g/cm3

0.606 × Earth

Surface gravity

1.622 m/s2  {(0.1654 g; 5.318 ft/s2)

Moment of inertia factor

0.3929±0.0009

Escape velocity

2.38 km/s

(8600 km/h; 5300 mph)

Synodic rotation period

29.530589 d

(29 d 12 h 44 min 2.9 s; synodic; solar day) (spin-orbit locked)

Sidereal rotation period

27.321661 d  (spin-orbit locked)

Equatorial rotation velocity

4.627 m/s

Axial tilt

1.5424° to ecliptic

6.687° to orbit plane

24° to Earth's equator 

North pole right ascension

17h 47m 26s

266.86°

North pole declination

65.64°

Albedo

0.136

Surface temp.

min mean max

Equator 100 K 2

50 K 390 K

85°N 150 K 230 K

Surface absorbed dose rate

13.2 μGy/h

(during lunar daytime)

Surface equivalent dose rate

57.0 μSv/h

(during lunar daytime)

Apparent magnitude

−2.5 to −12.9[c]

−12.74  (mean full moon)

Absolute magnitude 

0.2

Angular diameter

29.3 to 34.1 arcminutes

Atmosphere[16]

Surface pressure

10−7 Pa (1 picobar)  (day)

10−10 Pa (1 femtobar)   

(night)[e]

By Akhey🗺️

#moon🌕