Thursday Thirteen #24: Moon Trivia

In honor of the full lunar eclipse which will occur tonight (Feb. 20th), here's some moon trivia: (TT image courtesy of samulli)

1. The dark spots on the moon that create the benevolent "man in the moon" image are actually basins filled 3 to 8 kilometers deep with basalt, a dense mineral, which causes immense gravitation variations. And here I was, thinking they were just holes!

2. In China, the dark shadows forming a face is seen as "the toad in the moon," not the “man in the moon." The toad is considered one of the five poisons of yin. It is believed that eclipses occur when the “toad in the moon” tries to swallow the moon itself.

3. The temperature on the Moon reaches 243° F at midday on the lunar equator. During the night, the temperature falls to -261° F.

4. The first U.S. flag on the moon was deployed by Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on July 20, 1969. And we all got to stay up late to watch it, didn't we?

5. The footprints left by the Apollo astronauts will not erode since there is no wind or water on the Moon. The footprints should last at least 10 million years. Wouldn't it be even longer?!

6. Astronaut Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon with his left foot.

7. When walking on the moon, astronaut Alan Sheppard hit a golf ball that went 2,400 feet, nearly one-half a mile. Hmmm, didn't Tiger just do that in Dubai?

8. Flying once around the moon is the equivalent of a round trip from New York to London. (Earth is about four times the size of the moon.) And, with the price of fuel, that trip probably costs the same, too!!

9. Just twenty seconds' worth of fuel remained when Apollo 11's lunar module landed on the moon. Cutting it a bit close, I'd say!

10. Baskin-Robbins introduced the flavor "Lunar Cheesecake" to commemorate America's landing on the moon on July 20, 1969. It featured lunar green cheesecake ice cream with an Apollo 11 Marshmallow ribbon. Yum?

11. It is NOT TRUE that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from the Moon. It is only visible from a low Earth orbit, such as that of Skylab. From this height, many other human artifacts, cities, highways and field systems, also become visible.

12. Light from the Moon takes about a second and a half to reach Earth.

13. The gold-plated 33-rpm record "Camelot" was left behind on the moon by the Apollo astronauts. Hmmm....wonder what it'll be played on?!

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Comments

SandyCarlson said…
That bit about the footprints lasting 10 million years captures my imagination. Make the footprints in my house that have been around for a while seem like nothing at all. This was a great read.
Anonymous said…
GREAT list. I don't know why I'm particularly interested in Armstrong's having stepped with his left foot, but I am.

My TT is up your alley: photos of paintings.
Anonymous said…
There is a "solar wind" which consists of particles of dust in space that are caught by the moon's gravity and are pulled to the lunar surface. They are very sparse, and that's why it will take at least 10 million years for the footprints to erode. Of course, the very first footprint was blasted away when the lunar module took off for the return journey.

By the way, where's the green cheese in your list?
Lori said…
What great info:) Happy TT.
Anonymous said…
Fabulous list! I'm a space exploration fanatic and these tidbits are right up my ally. Thanks for sharing.
Melanie said…
Very informative! Learned some new things..thanks!
Anonymous said…
I tried to see the lunar eclipse tonight (9:01 pm CST) but we had too many clouds here in central Oklahoma. :(

Happy TT!
Gosh, that's fascinating. I really don't know that much about the moon. Funny too as I see it every day. ;)

Happy TT!
Anonymous said…
oooh I love the full moon my favorite time of the month great list

happy tt
Anonymous said…
A fascinating post! We were under cover of thick clouds last night so we didn't get to enjoy the eclipse.
Anonymous said…
Great post. I will always remember Neil's left foot. Happy TT!
storyteller said…
I’m catching up on T-13s a bit late this week but am enjoying the moon trivia even so. I loved watching the lunar eclipse myself and was relieved when the rain stopped & skies cleared so I had a view of the entire event here in So Cal. Quite spectacular! Thanks for sharing.
Hugs and blessings,