Why Does the Moon Shine?

Why Does the
Moon Shine?

By Kate Wilkinson-Brindle
Illustrated by Jason Henderson

Earth’s Satellite

Have you ever stared up at the Moon on a clear night?
Why does it look so white and bright?
Have you ever wondered why the Moon can look like a crescent
shape one night, and appear like a full circle on another night?
Our Moon is not only beautiful, but it is fascinating too. This text
will help you understand more about Earth’s natural satellite.
So why does the Moon shine? It doesn’t! Are you surprised?

The Moon Acts Like a Mirror

The Moon doesn’t shine because the word ‘shine’ means gives
out a bright light. The Moon doesn’t give out light – it reflects
the light from the Sun. The Moon acts like a mirror bouncing
the light from the Sun off its rocky surface and onto Earth.
Did you know? The Moon is 384,400 kilometres away from Earth.

The Phases of the Moon

The Moon appears as different shapes as it orbits the Earth. One
side of the Moon is always lit up by the Sun.
Sometimes, the Moon appears to be a full circle because the side
that is reflecting light faces Earth directly.
At other times, it appears to be a half moon or crescent moon shape
because the side that is reflecting light is at an angle to Earth.

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Mountains and Lakes on the Moon

If you look at a full Moon on a clear night, you can see dark
and light patches. The dark patches are areas of ancient lava.
They are called ‘seas’, but they don’t contain water!
Did you know that there is a mountain on the Moon? It is
called Mons Huygens, and it is nearly 5 kilometres tall.
Important advice: You can look at the Moon with binoculars
or a telescope to see its features more clearly. However,
you must NEVER look directly at the Sun because you will
damage your eyes.

Moon Explorers

On the 20th July 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on
the surface of the Moon. The astronauts Neil Armstrong and
Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to stand on the Moon.
Since then, there have been five more Apollo missions, and
ten other astronauts have walked on the Moon.
The astronauts collected samples of Moon rocks and sand to
bring back for study on Earth.

Other Moons

Earth is not the only planet in our solar system to have a moon.
The planet Mars has two moons. One is called Phobos, and the
other is called Deimos.
Uranus has 27 moons, and Saturn has 53 moons, but Jupiter is
the winner of the ‘Most Moons in the Solar System Award’
because it has 79 moons!

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