We are used to observing the moon in the evening and night sky. Even with the naked eye, one can see craters and hills on its surface. People have long wondered: “How old is our satellite?”, “Is there an atmosphere on Earth, but does it exist on the moon?”, “Can there be oxygen, water, and is it inhabited?”
Modern scientists can certainly answer these questions.
Essentials to Know
The distance to the Moon is 384,401 kilometers. It is the same age as the Earth and the rest of the solar system, that is, it appeared about 4.5 billion years ago and is formed of stones and ice.
Our companion always shows us one side. This is because the Earth and the Moon have the same period of rotation around its axis - 27.3 days. The shadow cast by the planet causes the bright disk in the sky to decrease or increase.
The moon has very large temperature differences. On the sunny side, from +130 ° C and -170 ° C on the dark.
Is there an atmosphere on the moon?
As we know, the Earth’s atmosphere is composed of gas and forms a shell called air. It is held by gravity, preventing gas molecules from flying into space.
Since the moon has a very small attraction, it cannot hold enough gases to create a full atmosphere. Despite this, our satellite still has a rarefied gas shell, which consists of helium, hydrogen, neon and argon.
However, the fact that there is an atmosphere on the moon is unlikely to have any significance for us, because a person cannot breathe there without a spacesuit.
Still on the moon, no sounds are heard and there is no wind. The rays of the sun do not scatter in the air, so the sky there is always black, and even during the day the stars are visible above the bright side.
Oxygen, water and some more information about the moon
Since there is atmosphere on the moon, is there water there?
Water is represented on the satellite in the form of ice. If there is no weather or atmosphere on the moon, then where did it come from?
Scientists believe that on Earth, water probably came from comets, which consist of ice mixed with stones. They hit the surface when the planet was still very, very young. Ice on the moon could appear in the same way. Most of the water on the Moon has evaporated a long time ago, but still remains at the South Pole, because it is located in a dark area where there is never sun.
Another question immediately arises: is there oxygen on the moon if we find out that it has an atmosphere and even water? Oxygen in the free state was not detected, but large areas of ilmenite, a mineral whose crystal lattice contains a huge amount of oxygen, were found on the surface using the Hubl telescope. So, this question can be answered in the affirmative.
So, now we know that there is a conditional atmosphere, water and oxygen on the moon, although it is unlikely that people will be able to use them for living.
Sadly, every year the satellite moves away from the Earth by several centimeters. One day, the moment will come when he will overcome the force of earth's gravity. Then the moon will fly away from us and travel until it is attracted to itself by the next, heavier cosmic body.