solar system
The Moon
Waning Moon – Oct. 2008
The Moon is the only natural satellite of our Earth.
Our Moon is in synchronous rotation with the Earth which causes it to always show the same side when visible.
It is the second brightest object in the sky.
The gravitational influence of the Moon causes the ocean tides and is also responsible for the tiny amount of lengthening of the day (leap second).
The Moon is thought to have formed at about the same time as the Earth, which is about 4,5 billions years ago.
Although there are several theories of the origin of the Moon, currently the most widely accepted explanation is that our Moon formed from the debris left over from a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized planetary body.
Other / older versions :
Image information:
Object info
Name: The Moon
Type: Moon
Constellation: n/a
Perigee/Apogee: 362570 km and 405410 km
Orbital period: 27,32 days
Equatorial radius: 1.738 km
Mass: 0.012 Earths
Eq. surface gravity: 0.16 G
Sidereal rotation period: 27,32 days
Satellites: 0
Date & location
Date: October 18, 2008
Location: Landgraaf, The Netherlands
Equipment & optics
Total integration: 1/500 sec @ ISO100
Camera: Canon 20D
Optics: Orion Optics SPX 10″ Newton
Mount: Losmandy G-11 Gemini
Image comments
Mirror lockup was used to prevent vibrations from camera shutter.
