The moon is slowly drifting away from the Earth. It is calculated that in moves just under four centimeters away every year.

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Over the years our moon has been giving many different names by many different civilizations. Luna the name given to it by the Romans stuck. The moon due to its close nature to the sun reflects sunlight and is the second brightest object in our sky. The way in which the moon reflects sunlight gives it a differing appearance throughout the course of the year. To many, the moon appears to change shape, but it is just our relative location to where the moon is reflecting light that we see. Scientists believe the moon was created shortly after the Earth after the Earth collided with an object roughly the size of Mars. The impact of this collision resulted in portions of the Earth and the Mars-like object being sent into space. The gravity of the Earth pulled one of the chunks into forming what we today know as our moon.

We start by focusing on the on basic structure and functional aspects of Luna (our moon). The worksheets advance on to discussing the eight different phases of the moon and students learn how to identify each of the phases visually. Students will also be able to understand the differences and significance of lunar and solar eclipses. These worksheets also explore the politics and nationalism that is attributed to space exploration. We then explore our ability as a species to be able to inhabit this celestial body. We also look at how gravity exert by our planet and Luna interact are affect tides and the movements and body rhythms of animals. These worksheets look at all aspects of our moon, the history and the science for students.



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Luna

Scientists believe that the Moon is composed primarily of iron, but it may also contain sulfur and other elements. Its core is believed to be only about one to two percent of its mass and about 420 miles wide.

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Luna Questions

In the early 17th century, the scientist Galileo make the first map of the moon. He used a telescope he had designed himself that could magnify things up to 20 times.

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Phases of the Moon

Except during an eclipse, half of Earth's natural satellite is always lit up by the Sun. However, we can only see a part of it on any given day.

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QUESTIONS: Phases of the Moon

What do we call the different ways that the Moon looks as it orbits Earth over the course of about a month?

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Lunar Eclipse

A lunar eclipse is when the Earth lies exactly between the Moon and the Sun so that the light from the Sun doesn't reach it.

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QUESTIONS: Lunar Eclipse

Unlike a solar eclipse, it is okay to look at a lunar eclipse with the naked eye. Lunar eclipses are not completely dark, since the Moon reflects some of the sunlight that is refracted by the Earth's atmosphere.

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The Moon Landing

Embarrassed that the U.S. was not leading the way in space travel technology, President Kennedy told Congress in 1961 that he wanted the U.S. to be the first country to put a man on the Moon.

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QUESTIONS: The Moon Landing

After much trial and error, the United States launched Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969, with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins aboard.

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Water on the Moon

On July 16, 1969, the Apollo II program landed a lunar module called the Eagle on the surface of the moon. When Apollo 11 returned to Earth it brought back rock samples from the surface of it, which scientists analyzed for signs of water.

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QUESTIONS: Water on the Moon

This is extremely significant with regards to the possibility of ever establishing a lunar base, since the existence of water on the Moon means the potential availability of drinking water and fuel.

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Could We Live There?

The molecules of gases in the exosphere are spread very thin (only 100 molecules per cubic centimeter) compared to the Earth's atmosphere, where there are about 100 billion molecules per cubic centimeter.

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QUESTIONS: Could We Live There?

Because there is no existing atmosphere, it also has no weather.

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Tides

The rising and falling of the surface of a body of water is called the tide.

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QUESTIONS: Tides

When the water level rises on a beach over a period of time, we say that the tide is coming in. When the water level falls again, we say that the tide has gone out.

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Deer Movement

What this means for hunters is that there are only a few days each season in which deer are likely to be out and visible.

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QUESTIONS: Deer Movement

What did the 2016 joint study by deer biologists discover?

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How Earth Interacts

Earth would be subject to the gravitational pulls of nearby planets like Venus and Jupiter.

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QUESTIONS: How Earth Interacts

Such strong gravitational forces could cause the Earth's tilt on its axis to fluctuate, rather than remaining approximately 23 1/2 degrees as it does today.

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Formation and Structure

Scientists call this tilt the Earth's obliquity.

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QUESTIONS: Formation and Structure

What was the name of the ancient planet that collided with Earth in the early days of our Solar System?

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