Tag archives for Moon
Solstice, Full Moon, and Lunar Eclipse Tonight
Posted by Winter officially begins late tonight and this winter solstice will be a rare event. Not only will there be a full moon, but there will also be a total lunar eclipse starting after 1:30 a.m. ET, 10:30 p.m. PT.
What is a lunar eclipse? It is when the sun, the Earth, and the moon are all in line with each other, with the Earth in the middle. The Earth’s shadow is cast onto the moon, making it appear dim. Lunar eclipses happen twice a year (the last one was in June), so they aren’t especially rare. What is rare is for the solstice, a full moon, and a lunar eclipse to all happen at the same time. The last time that happened was 372 years ago in the year 1638!
Learn how to see tonight’s winter solstice and lunar eclipse on National Geographic News.
Think you’ve got your moon facts straight? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph by Tunc Tezel, TWAN
Saturday, Sept. 18, will be the first International Observe the Moon Night. There are more than 300 official moon-watching events scheduled, but you can observe the moon from your own neighborhood if the sky is clear. You can use binoculars or a telescope to get a closer look at the moon. Even without a telescope, you can see some craters, such as the Tycho crater near the moon’s south pole!
NASA and several partners established International Observe the Moon Night to raise people’s awareness of the moon and its scientific importance.
Learn more about Observe the Moon Night on National Geographic News.
Think you know the most about the moon? Quiz Your Noodle and see how you rate!
The moon isn’t the only cool thing in the sky to celebrate. Learn how to throw a star party on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Siamak Sabet, My Shot
Smallest Full Moon of the Year Tonight
If you look at tonight’s full moon and think it looks smaller than usual, you’d be right. It’s the smallest full moon of the year!
The moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle–it’s shaped more like an egg. That means the moon isn’t always the same distance from the Earth. Tonight the moon will be at its furthest point from the Earth, at what is called its apogee. That makes the Earth seem smaller when viewed from Earth. It also affects the moon’s pull on tides. The pull will be weaker than usual.
Read more about tonight’s full moon on National Geographic News.
How much do you know about the moon? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Photograph by Marti Kallas, My Shot
You have probably heard the name “Buzz Aldrin” before. Aldrin was one of the first two people to walk on the moon in 1969, along with Apollo 11 mission commander Neil Armstrong. Aldrin will be celebrating a big milestone this Thursday, January 21: his 80th birthday.
You can help wish Buzz a happy birthday! Follow the link below to enter your name and birthday message. On January 21, the Planetary Society will give Buzz a giant birthday card, filled with names and messages from all over the world!
Add your name and message to the card on the Planetary Society website.
See restored footage of the 1969 moonwalks on National Geographic Kids.
See pictures of Buzz Aldrin and others exploring the moon on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy NASA
LCROSS mission picture courtesy NASA
This morning, NASA’s LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) intentionally crashed into the moon’s surface in hopes of uncovering traces of ice near the moon’s south pole. The impact created a crater of about 100 feet (300 meters) wide and scattered 200 tons of material on the moon’s surface.
Impacts on the moon aren’t unusual. Other objects similar in size to LCROSS, such as meteors, hit the moon every month and more than two dozen NASA objects are already scattered across the moon’s surface.
Learn more about the LCROSS crash on National Geographic News.
Check out pictures of moon exploration on National Geographic Kids.
Quiz Your Noodle and find out how much you
know about the moon on National Geographic Kids.
Play Pluto’s Secret on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy NASA
July 20 is the 40th anniversary of humankind’s first steps on the moon. On July 16, 1969, the world watched as the Apollo 11 rocket Columbia lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. The trip to the moon took three days, and on July 20, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped off of the Eagle, Apollo 11′s lunar module. People back home on Earth watched the astronauts take their first steps on the moon, and heard Neil Armstrong say “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The astronauts spent a total of 21 hours on the moon before the Eagle returned to the Columbia for the trip home.
The Apollo 11 crew safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. NASA plans to send another mission to the moon within the next decade.
Get the story behind the moon landing on National Geographic News.
Check out the Man and the Moon features on National Geographic Channel.
How much do you know about the moon? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Watch a video of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon.
The next astronauts to land on the moon will be driving an all-new lunar rover. The new rover, called the Chariot, will contain several improvements over the old “moon buggies,” including an optional pressurized cabin with beds, a pantry, a waste-management system, and a pair of space suits, allowing astronauts to live and work “on the road” for up to two weeks.
The rover will need to pass several rounds of tests between now and 2019, when the final model will be complete.
Read more on National Geographic News.
