We’d really be in the dark without our only natural satellite, the Moon. Now lunar rove on over and moon rock this quiz! (As always, we make no Apollo-gees for puns.)
#1. How did Earth get its Moon?
The “giant impact hypothesis” is supported by moon rocks collected by Apollo astronauts. Certain atoms in moon rocks are nearly identical to Earth’s crust. Also, meteorites from our Solar System show signs of heat-shock – evidence of a head-on collision 4.5 billion years ago.
#2. How far away is the Moon from Earth?
While the Moon is our closest celestial neighbour, it’s somewhere between 360,000 to 405,000 kilometres away. It took about 5 days for the Artemis I spaceship to get from Earth to the Moon.
#3. What colour does the Moon turn during a total lunar eclipse?
A total eclipse happens when the Moon sits entirely in Earth’s shadow. The only light reaching the Moon comes from Earth’s sunrises and sunsets, which is why it is red.
#4. True or false? The dark patches on the Moon are evidence of ancient seas.
False. While these flat plains are called maria, Latin for seas, they were actually formed by ancient volcanoes. Some water does exist on the Moon, but the surface of the Moon is 100 times drier than the Sahara Desert.
#5. If we lost the Moon, which of the following would change on Earth?
The Moon’s gravity causes tides and helps to stabilise Earth on its axis. Incredibly, new research suggests that tidal forces from the Moon also help generate Earth’s magnetic field.
Results
Congratulations! You are a real science whiz!
Oh dear! Better brush up before the next quiz!
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