The Almost Moon

Product Information

The Moon does not produce its own light. There is only one source of light in our solar system, and that is the Sun. Without the Sun, our Moon would be completely dark. What you may have heard referred to as “moonlight” is actually just sunlight reflecting off of the Moon’s surface.

Summary and reviews of The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

The Moon has an atmosphere so tenuous as to be nearly vacuum, with a total mass of less than 10 tonnes (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons). [88] The surface pressure of this small mass is around 3 × 10 −15 atm (0.3 nPa); it varies with the lunar day. Its sources include outgassing and sputtering, a product of the bombardment of lunar soil by solar wind ions. [16] [89] Elements that have been detected include sodium and potassium, produced by sputtering (also found in the atmospheres of Mercury and Io); helium-4 and neon [90] from the solar wind; and argon-40, radon-222, and polonium-210, outgassed after their creation by radioactive decay within the crust and mantle. [91] [92] The absence of such neutral species (atoms or molecules) as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and magnesium, which are present in the regolith, is not understood. [91] Water vapor has been detected by Chandrayaan-1 and found to vary with latitude, with a maximum at ~60–70degrees; it is possibly generated from the sublimation of water ice in the regolith. [93] These gases either return into the regolith because of the Moon's gravity or are lost to space, either through solar radiation pressure or, if they are ionized, by being swept away by the solar wind's magnetic field. [91] The Moon's diameter is about 3,500km, more than a quarter of Earth's, with the face of the Moon comparable to the width of either Australia, [17] Europe or the US without Alaska. [67] The whole surface area of the Moon is about 38 million square kilometers, between the size of the Americas ( North and South America) and Africa. Further information: List of craters on the Moon A view of a three kilometer deep larger crater Daedalus on the Moon's far side The English adjective pertaining to the Moon is "lunar", derived from the Latin word for the Moon, lūna. Selenian / s ə l iː n i ə n/ [28] is an adjective used to describe the Moon as a world, rather than as a celestial object, [29] but its use is rare. It is derived from σελήνη selēnē, the Greek word for the Moon, and its cognate selenic was originally a rare synonym [30] but now nearly always refers to the chemical element selenium. [31] The element name selenium and the prefix seleno- (as in selenography, the study of the physical features of the Moon) come from this Greek word. [32] [33]

Is the Moon getting closer?

The Moon is by size and mass the fifth largest natural satellite of the Solar System, categorizeable as one of its planetary-mass moons, making it a satellite planet under the geophysical definitions of the term. [18] It is smaller than Mercury and considerably larger than the largest dwarf planet of the Solar System, Pluto. While the minor-planet moon Charon of the Pluto-Charon system is larger relative to Pluto, [f] [66] the Moon is the largest natural satellite of the Solar System relative to their primary planets. [g] On average the Moon's surface gravity is 1.62 m/s 2 [4] ( 0.1654 g; 5.318 ft/s 2), about half of the surface gravity of Mars and about a sixth of Earth's. Just like Earth, the Moon can be divided into the crust, mantle and core. At its very centre, the Moon has a solid iron core with a temperature of between 1,327°C and 1427°C. This is hot enough to create a surrounding molten liquid iron outer core, but not hot enough to warm the surface.

The Almost Moon: A Novel: Sebold, Alice: 9780316677462

The Moon is a differentiated body that was initially in hydrostatic equilibrium but has since departed from this condition. [69] It has a geochemically distinct crust, mantle, and core. The Moon has a solid iron-rich inner core with a radius possibly as small as 240 kilometres (150mi) and a fluid outer core primarily made of liquid iron with a radius of roughly 300 kilometres (190mi). Around the core is a partially molten boundary layer with a radius of about 500 kilometres (310mi). [70] [71] This structure is thought to have developed through the fractional crystallization of a global magma ocean shortly after the Moon's formation 4.5billion years ago. [72] The Almost Moon,' by Alice Sebold -- New York Magazine Book Review - Nymag". New York Magazine . Retrieved 2020-09-28. The Moon is orbiting Earth at an average distance of 384,400 kilometres, meaning it would take over 17 days non-stop to fly there on a commercial plane.The lunar solid crust experiences tides of around 10cm (4in) amplitude over 27days, with three components: a fixed one due to Earth, because they are in synchronous rotation, a variable tide due to orbital eccentricity and inclination, and a small varying component from the Sun. [168] The Earth-induced variable component arises from changing distance and libration, a result of the Moon's orbital eccentricity and inclination (if the Moon's orbit were perfectly circular and un-inclined, there would only be solar tides). [168] According to recent research, scientists suggest that the Moon's influence on the Earth may contribute to maintaining Earth's magnetic field. [169] Over the next twenty-four hours, Helen recalls her: childhood, youth, marriage, and motherhood. Helen's life and the omnipresent relationship with her mother rush in at her as she confronts the choices that have brought her to that crossroads. Partly absent-mindedly, partly desperately she tries to conceal her crime, and in doing so ropes her ex-husband into the conspiracy. The excess of craziness means we don't have, paradoxically, an intimate sense of what Helen is like: she's sardonic, practical, controlled - but then none of those things, just her crazy parents' daughter.

Moon: Facts - NASA Science Moon: Facts - NASA Science

The gravitational pull of the Moon causes the water on the nearest side of Earth to bulge outwards, resulting in a high tide. Curiously, it also causes the water on the other side of the Earth to bulge outwards. Analysis of the findings of the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) revealed in August 2018 for the first time "definitive evidence" for water-ice on the lunar surface. [157] [158] The data revealed the distinct reflective signatures of water-ice, as opposed to dust and other reflective substances. [159] The ice deposits were found on the North and South poles, although it is more abundant in the South, where water is trapped in permanently shadowed craters and crevices, allowing it to persist as ice on the surface since they are shielded from the sun. [157] [159]Why does this happen? The shape of the Moon isn’t changing throughout the month. However, our view of the Moon does change. Main articles: Tidal force, Tidal acceleration, Tide, and Theory of tides Simplified diagram of the Moon's gravity tidal effect on the Earth All six human Moon landings to date have been part of NASA's Apollo programme, which ran between 1961 and 1972. Due to tidal acceleration, the Moon's orbit around Earth has become significantly larger, with a longer period. [60]