Objects Of Our Solar System - Moon

Moon is the brightest object in the night sky and it orbits the Earth. It is our only natural satellite. The Moon is approximately a quarter of the size of the Earth and it consists of rock. The diameter of the Moon is 3474 kilometers. As we all know, there is no life outside our planet, at least we have not found (yet). The same applies with Moon, there is no life on it. Even though the Moon is the brightest object on night sky, the light is not created in the Moon but it is sunlight reflected from the surface of the Moon.

The shape of the Moon varies due to the shadow of the Earth. A full circle of various phases of the Moon takes 29,5 days. The Moon is the only astronomical object on which human beings have landed. It is bombarded by meteorites, because of which the ground is full of impact craters. The largest crater on Moon, which has also said to be the largest crater in our solar system, is the South-Pole Aitking Basin.

Observing the Moon

Moon is easy to locate and it can be seen without any equipment. In order to see more, one should start with binoculars, which helps to see better the craters of the Moon. With a good telescope one can see the craters very closely. If you watch the moon close to Equator, you can see it also on daytime on a clear sky.

If you are planning to observe the Moon with a telescope, you should first find a map of the Moon in order to locate craters. Interesting craters to watch are Archimedes, Kopernikus, Klavius and Theophilus. Find those in your map and then try to locate them on the Moon. The Moon contains also a number of seas that are also interesting targets to observe. One very interesting phenomenon to observe is the Lunar Eclipse which happens quite often.

Moon is an interesting object to watch and for many new amateurs it is probably the first target to watch. If you are an amateur just starting skywatching, I recommend you to start with the Moon.

Marko Pyhajarvi is an amateur astronomer and enthusiastic blogger from Finland. He is interested in skywatching and astronomy discussions. His biggest interest within astronomy is in deep space and especially in nebulae and galaxies. For more articles from Marko Pyhajarvi, please visit his astronomy blog http://homeboyastronomy.com