The moon is a spherical rocky space body. It lacks the atmosphere and any signs of life. Compared to our planet, of which it is the only satellite. The satellite's diameter is about a quarter of the Earth's diameter. Long before the beginning of all kinds of research, people realized that the moon is full of mysteries and secrets.
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It ranks among the largest natural satellites of the planets in the solar system. The density of the soil is relatively low, and samples taken from the surface for detailed analysis have confused scientists to this day. According to the theory of origin, it was "born" about 4.1 billion years ago.
The average distance from the moon to the Earth is 384,400 km, this figure roughly includes 60 radii of our planet. Depending on the moment of motion of the only satellite of the Earth in an elliptical orbit, the degree of its proximity to the planet and the dimensions visible to the observer change. When at perigee, the satellite is separated from the Earth by 363104 kilometers. When a celestial body reaches its climax, the shortest distance between the centers of the Earth and the Moon is equal to 406,696 kilometers. The range of the distance difference reaches 43592 km.
When observing the movement of this celestial body across the firmament, one can fall under the influence of optical illusion. When it is located high and surrounded by infinite space, its dimensions are perceived to be much smaller than it actually is. In close proximity to the Earth's horizon, the Moon may appear to have a large diameter.
Due to the fact that the satellite is approaching the planet, then moving away from it, the brightness of the moon's surface also varies. Studies prove that the satellite does not create a glow, but reflects about seven percent of the scattered sunlight. This feature is characterized by a regolith layer arising from collisions with meteorites. The debris particles range in size from the smallest to the largest and can cover the surface from a few microns to tens of meters.
The movement of the Moon in its orbit is due to the influence on it by the attraction of the Earth and the Sun. Moreover, the Sun attracts it to itself to a much greater extent than our planet. In addition to the brightest star in the solar system, the motion of the moon is a combination of many parameters:
The movement of the Moon in its orbit can be compared to a spiral that gradually unwinds.
Distance between Earth and Moon the value is not constant. The ancient scientist Hipparchus of Nicea in the second century BC was able to calculate this distance. He got a figure equal to thirty earthly diameters, that is, 384,000 kilometers.
The size of the diameter was able to measure another ancient Greek mathematician and astronomer Eratosthenes of Cyrene. He set the pole upright near the library building and measured the length of the shadow cast from it. Then he determined the smallest angle that a sunbeam forms when falling on a pole. The result is a degree equal to seven. Having knowledge that on the day of the summer solstice in the city of Siena, the Sun is at its zenith, and the distance from Siena to Alexandria is 5000 stades, Eratosthenes concluded: 5000 stades is 7 degrees of the Earth's meridian. The full meridian is 360 degrees, or roughly 250,000 stades.
There are several measurement methods distance from the earth to the moon:
These dimensions are the same, since during a total solar eclipse, the solar disk is completely obscured by the lunar disk. An ordinary splinter is suitable for measurement. If you place a splinter in an outstretched hand, then the ratio of its width to length to the eye is the angular size of the Moon in radians. This value is 0.0087. Converting radians to degrees gives approximately 0.5. Knowing the radius of the Earth and the angular size of our satellite, it is easy to find out distance to a celestial body... By means of geometric calculations, there is a distance equal to 30 diameters of our planet.
A laser beam is directed from the Earth's surface to reflective reflectors installed on the Moon by astronauts more than forty years ago. It moves at a known speed of light and, having reached the reflector, comes back. The beam path is approximately one second. Scientists record a specific time and calculate the exact distance to our satellite. This method of measurement helped to establish what changes the trajectory of movement away from the planet by several centimeters per year.
The closest point of the Moon's orbit is located on average at a distance of 362,000 kilometers. The most distant point of the lunar orbit is at a distance of 405,000 kilometers.
At least twice a year on a new moon, when the satellite approaches the node as much as possible (the point of intersection with the ecliptic), a solar eclipse takes place. The rest of the time, its movement is carried out under the Sun or above it. Lunar eclipses occur on full moons, and Earth's natural satellite must also be near the node.
A straight line connecting the nodes wraps around our planet every 18 years and 224 days. The direction of rotation in this case is opposite to the course of the moon.
Over a century, the duration of the earth's day increases by one thousandth of a second. This phenomenon causes celestial body closest to Earth as a result of the action of the forces of gravity. In the world's oceans, ebbs and flows occur due to the gravitational attraction of the moon, and these processes slow down the earth's rotation.
The gravitational field influenced the shape of the celestial body. On the side facing the Earth, there is deformation, although it is possible that the latter arose due to the structure of the inner layers of the satellite.
The impact on the Moon, produced by the Earth and the Sun, modifications in the trajectory of its movement in an elliptical orbit after millions of years will move the mysterious celestial body away and optically reduce it. Total solar eclipses will also become a legend.
One of the main character traits of any person is curiosity. It is to her that mankind owes most of the scientific discoveries and the benefits of technical progress based on them. Since ancient times, people have gazed with interest at the night sky, in which countless stars were shining, and the moon was slowly floating across the sky. It is not surprising that since then the dream of visiting some heavenly body has not left a person.
The invention of the telescope confirmed the assumption that the Moon is at the minimum distance from the Earth. From that moment on, science fiction writers in their novels sent fearless travelers to this heavenly body. It is interesting that the proposed methods were fully consistent with the spirit of their time: a projectile, a rocket based on a jet engine, an antigravitational substance Keyword (H. Wells), etc. True, no one could say exactly how long to fly to the Moon.
Quite a long time has passed since then. Although the term "a lot" is applicable to the duration of human life, but for history, only a moment has passed. Now the natural is increasingly viewed not just as an abstract goal of flight, but as the basis for the bases of the future. These include settlements under a heavy-duty dome, sealed cities below the surface, automated observatories, and spacecraft fueling stations. Truly, the flight of fantasy has no boundaries. Surprisingly, while many do not even guess how much to the moon.
Now the distance from the Earth to the satellite is calculated with high precision. Therefore, knowing the speed, you can calculate how long it takes to fly to the moon. It is known that the distance between the central points of these celestial bodies is 384 400 km. But since you need to know the path between the surfaces to determine the travel time, you need to subtract the values of the radii. It is 6378 km for the Earth, and 1738 km for the satellite. The exact answer to the question: "How long to fly to the moon?" suggests the need to take into account the peculiarities of the orbit of our natural satellite. As you know, the Moon is close to an oval (that is, elliptical), so the path length varies by as much as 12%, which is quite a lot. So, at the closest approach (perigee), the distance is 363 104 km, but at the far point (apogee) it is already 405 696 km. Taking into account the sum of their radii, we subtract the known values from the smaller number and as a result we get 354 988 km. This is the distance from the Earth to the lunar surface.
Based on the distance voiced above, you can definitely say how long to fly to the moon. It remains to take into account only the speed with which it is planned to carry out such a desired journey. So, the flight time to the surface of a natural satellite depends on the chosen vehicle and takes:
160 days when driving a car traveling at a speed of about 100 km / h;
Accordingly, an airplane flying at least 800 km per hour will take “only” 20 days;
The ships of the American Apollo program reached the surface of our satellite in three days and four hours;
Having developed the second at 11.2 km / s, it will be possible to cover the distance in 9.6 hours;
Having turned into pure energy (remember the "Space Odyssey" by Arthur Clarke) and moving from (300,000 km / s), the goal can be achieved in a paltry 1.25 s;
Well, for the adherents of the saying: "The quieter you go - the further you will be!" you will have to spend at least nine years if you continuously walk at a regular pace at a speed of 5 km / h.
Obviously, the question is: "How long to fly to the moon?" at the present time it can already be considered resolved. It remains only to choose a vehicle, then, depending on the decision made, stock up on the proper patience, the required amount of provisions and hit the road.
It is no secret that people have long dreamed of flying into space - the unexplored, vast expanses fascinate and beckon, but space tourism has not yet become a mass industry. Why is that? Because getting to another planet is not so easy. Even the Moon, which seems to be a stone's throw when we look at it at night, is many kilometers. How long does it take to reach the moon?
The average distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384 399 km.
We say average, since the Moon's orbit is not circular, but elliptical, which means that the distance between the Earth and the Moon is changing. At perigee - the closest point to the Earth - the distance is 363 104 km, at the apogee - the most distant point - 405 696 km.
So, we know the distance, which means that in order to find the time it takes to get to the moon, you just need to divide it by the speed. Based on this fact, we get:
As you can see, the path is not short, and not everyone is able to withstand so much time of continuous flight, while it is worth considering that the flight would cost a fabulous amount of money.
The moon is a natural satellite of the earth. Its main influence is mainly in the form of ebb and flow, this is due to the fact that gravity creates two bulges on opposite sides of the planet. It is also located both close and far from the Earth. How long does it take to get to the Moon? Scientists had to spend a huge amount of time to calculate the optimal flight paths. Both the aircraft itself and the type of fuel used are of great importance, and the chosen take-off and landing technique also has a great influence. As a result, it may take a person from several days to eight hours to reach the satellite's surface.
Accurate measurement of the distance became possible thanks to the use of laser equipment, but even in more ancient times, the astronomer Hipparchus was able to calculate that the distance from the Earth to the Moon was approximately 380,000 kilometers, being the closest to the truth. It is the distance, as well as the location of the celestial body, that are the main criteria in calculating the duration of the flight. In search of the optimal solution, scientists have created several theories according to which it is possible to optimize the amount of fuel spent and increase the final landing accuracy.
The Moon's orbit is elliptical, which is why the distance between the satellite and the Earth is constantly changing. It looks like this:
It will take about 20 days to overcome such a "small" distance by the standards of the Cosmos on an airplane at a speed of 800 km / h. It is known that the Apollo ships could reach the Moon in just three days, which is already much faster. If you can accelerate the device to the second cosmic speed (11 km / s), then a person will be able to reach the surface of the satellite in 10 hours.
The most technologically advanced flight to the Moon was the launch of the ESA SMART-1 probe. It took him 410 days to reach the satellite. The ion engine, revolutionary for 2003, was used as a power plant, the main advantage of which was efficiency in fuel consumption. For the entire trip, the probe spent only 82 kilograms of fuel, securing the title of the most economical and at the same time the longest for this method.
It took the Chinese satellite Chang'e-1 five days to reach the lunar orbit using ordinary rocket engines. However, he had to stay in Earth's orbit for some time in order to get the correct coordinates of the starting point. This can be considered a very good result, especially considering that this is standard technology.
The fastest manned flight was the Apollo mission. The astronauts set off "Saturn-5" and after three days reached the lunar surface. The famous Neil Armstrong was part of the expedition. This flight was of great importance for the United States, since the entire national idea was based on it, which required the completion of the task of conquering the Earth's satellite. Its successful implementation marked America's victory over the USSR in the space race.
However, flights can be made much faster. The satellite, launched according to NASA's New Horizons project, related to the exploration of Pluto, managed to cover 380,000 kilometers in just 8 hours and 35 minutes. This became possible due to the fact that from the very beginning the satellite had a strong acceleration of 58,000 km / h, this step was due to the task of overcoming solar gravity, which made it possible to reach the Moon in a more or less acceptable time for humans. However, one should take into account the overload that the body experiences during such a flight, and this, in turn, seriously complicates the whole task, making it a real puzzle for engineers.
Nevertheless, no obstacles and difficulties could prevent the formation of travel agencies that are able to send a person to Space for the weekend. There are only a few such tours, and among them there are both long ones, when ion engines are used, and fast ones, in which case the client will be returned back in just a few days. However, it should be taken into account what funds are allocated for the implementation of at least one flight. At the moment, Space is too expensive even for states, so it is not worth talking about ordinary, even relatively wealthy people.
The development of modern technologies is proceeding at a very fast pace. Soon, mankind will be able to begin colonization and the construction of long-term bases on the nearest space objects. Nevertheless, the question "How long is it to fly to the moon?" will be open to the emergence of new, more efficient vehicles, as well as better fuel, which will provide much more energy, which will significantly increase the speed of current spacecraft.
In 1609, after the invention of the telescope, mankind was able to examine its space satellite in detail for the first time. Since then, the Moon is the most studied cosmic body, as well as the first one that man has been able to visit.
The first thing to be dealt with is - what is our satellite? The answer is unexpected: although the Moon is considered a satellite, it is technically as full-fledged planet as the Earth. It is large - 3476 kilometers across at the equator - and weighs 7.347 × 10 22 kilograms; The moon is only slightly inferior to the smallest planet in the solar system. All this makes it a full-fledged participant in the Moon-Earth gravitational system.
Another such tandem is known in the solar system, and Charon. Although the entire mass of our satellite is slightly more than a hundredth of the mass of the Earth, the Moon does not revolve around the Earth itself - they have a common center of mass. And the closeness of a satellite to us gives rise to another interesting effect, tidal capture. Because of him, the Moon is always turned to the Earth by the same side.
Moreover, from the inside, the Moon is arranged like a full-fledged planet - it has a crust, a mantle and even a core, and in the distant past there were volcanoes on it. However, nothing remained of the ancient landscapes - over the course of four and a half billion years of the Moon's history, millions of tons of meteorites and asteroids fell on it, which furrowed it, leaving craters. Some of the blows were so strong that they broke through her bark right down to her mantle. The pits from such collisions formed lunar seas, dark spots on the moon, which are easily distinguishable from. Moreover, they are present exclusively on the visible side. Why? We will talk about this further.
Among cosmic bodies, the Moon affects the Earth the most - except, perhaps, the Sun. Lunar tides, which regularly raise the water level in the world's oceans, are the most obvious, but not the most powerful, impact of the satellite. So, gradually moving away from the Earth, the Moon slows down the rotation of the planet - the solar day has grown from the original 5 to the current 24 hours. And the satellite also serves as a natural barrier against hundreds of meteorites and asteroids, intercepting them on their way to Earth.
And without a doubt, the Moon is a tasty object for astronomers, both amateurs and professionals. Although the distance to the Moon has been measured to within a meter using laser technology, and soil samples from it have been brought to Earth many times, there is still room for discovery. For example, scientists are hunting for lunar anomalies - mysterious flares and auroras on the surface of the Moon, not all of which can be explained. It turns out that our satellite hides much more than is visible on the surface - let's figure out the secrets of the Moon together!
The scientific study of the moon is now over 2,200 years old. The movement of a satellite in the sky of the Earth, the phases and distance from it to the Earth were described in detail by the ancient Greeks - and the internal structure of the Moon and its history are still being investigated by spacecraft. Nevertheless, centuries of work by philosophers, and then by physicists and mathematicians have provided very accurate data on how our moon looks and moves, and why it is exactly like that. All information about the satellite can be divided into several categories, mutually flowing from each other.
How does the moon move around the earth? If our planet were stationary, the satellite would rotate in an almost perfect circle, from time to time slightly approaching and moving away from the planet. But the Earth itself around the Sun - the Moon has to constantly "catch up" with the planet. And yet our Earth is not the only body with which our satellite interacts. The Sun, which is 390 times farther from the Earth from the Moon, is 333 thousand times more massive than the Earth. And even taking into account the inverse square law, according to which the intensity of any energy source drops sharply with distance, the Sun attracts the Moon 2.2 times stronger than the Earth!
Therefore, the final trajectory of the movement of our satellite resembles a spiral, and even difficult. The axis of the lunar orbit fluctuates, the Moon itself periodically approaches and moves away, and on a global scale it completely flies away from the Earth. The same fluctuations lead to the fact that the visible side of the Moon is not the same hemisphere of the satellite, but different parts of it, which alternately rotate towards the Earth due to the "rocking" of the satellite in orbit. These movements of the Moon in longitude and latitude are called librations, and they allow you to look behind the reverse side of our satellite long before the first flyby by spacecraft. The moon rotates 7.5 degrees from east to west, and 6.5 degrees from north to south. Therefore, from the Earth, you can easily see both poles of the Moon.
The specific orbital characteristics of the Moon are useful not only for astronomers and astronauts - for example, photographers especially value the supermoon: the phase of the moon in which it reaches its maximum size. This is a full moon during which the moon is at perigee. Here are the main parameters of our satellite:
An interesting fact: since the lunar month is shorter than the calendar one, sometimes there can be two full moons in one month - the second is called the "blue moon". It is as bright as an ordinary forest - it illuminates the Earth by 0.25 lux (for example, the usual lighting inside a house is 50 lux). The Earth itself illuminates the moon 64 times more - a whopping 16 lux. Of course, all light is not own, but reflected from the sun.
It took people a long time to understand how big the moon is and what it is made of. Only in 1753, the scientist R. Boskovich was able to prove that the Moon does not have an essential atmosphere, as well as liquid seas - when the Moon is covered, the stars disappear instantly, when the presence would make it possible to observe their gradual "fading". It took another 200 years for the Soviet station "Luna-13" in 1966 to measure the mechanical properties of the lunar surface. And nothing was known about the far side of the moon until 1959, when the Luna-3 apparatus was unable to take its first pictures.
The Apollo 11 crew brought the first samples to the surface in 1969. They also became the first people to visit the Moon - until 1972, 6 ships landed on it, and 12 astronauts landed. The reliability of these flights was often doubted - however, many of the critics' points proceeded from their ignorance in space affairs. The American flag, which, according to the assurances of the conspiracy theorists, “could not fly in the airless space of the moon,” is actually solid and static - it was specially reinforced with solid threads. This was done specifically in order to take beautiful pictures - the sagging canvas is not so spectacular.
Many color and shape distortions in the reflections on the helmets of the spacesuits in which the fake was sought were due to gold plating on the UV-resistant glass. The Soviet cosmonauts, who watched the broadcast of the astronauts' landing in real time, also confirmed the accuracy of what was happening. And who can deceive an expert in his field?
And complete geological and topographic maps of our satellite are being compiled to this day. In 2009, the LRO space station (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) not only delivered the most detailed images of the Moon in history, but also proved the presence of a large amount of frozen water on it. He also put an end to the discussion about whether people were on the Moon by filming the traces of the Apollo team from the low orbit of the Moon. The device was equipped with equipment from several countries of the world, including Russia.
Since new space states like China and private companies are joining the exploration of the moon, fresh data comes in every day. We have collected the main parameters of our satellite:
The study of the minerals of the moon and its history is one of the most difficult disciplines for scientists. The surface of the Moon is open to cosmic rays, and there is nothing to trap the heat at the surface - therefore, the satellite heats up to 105 ° C during the day, and cools down to -150 ° C at night. The two-week duration of the day and night increases the effect on the surface - and as a result, the minerals of the Moon change beyond recognition with time. However, we managed to find out something.
Today, the Moon is believed to be the product of a collision of a large planetary embryo, Theia, with the Earth, which occurred billions of years ago, when our planet was completely molten. Part of the planet that collided with us (and it was the size of) was absorbed - but its core, along with part of the Earth's surface matter, was thrown by inertia into orbit, where it remained in the form of the Moon.
This is proved by the aforementioned deficiency of iron and other metals on the Moon - by the time Theia pulled out a piece of terrestrial matter, most of the heavy elements of our planet were pulled inward by gravity, to the core. This collision was reflected in the further development of the Earth - it began to rotate faster, and its axis of rotation tilted, which made it possible to change the seasons.
Further, the Moon developed as an ordinary planet - it formed an iron core, mantle, crust, lithospheric plates and even its own atmosphere. However, the low mass and the composition poor in heavy elements led to the fact that the bowels of our satellite quickly cooled down, and the atmosphere evaporated from the high temperature and the absence of a magnetic field. However, some processes are still taking place inside - because of the movements in the lithosphere of the Moon, moonquakes sometimes occur. They represent one of the main dangers for the future colonizers of the Moon: their scope reaches 5 and a half points on the Richter scale, and they last much longer than the earth's - there is no ocean that can absorb the impulse of the earth's interior.
The main chemical elements on the moon are silicon, aluminum, calcium and magnesium. The minerals that form these elements are similar to those on Earth and are even found on our planet. However, the main difference between the minerals of the moon is the absence of exposure to water and oxygen produced by living things, a high proportion of meteorite impurities and traces of the effects of cosmic radiation. The ozone layer of the Earth was formed a long time ago, and the atmosphere burns most of the mass of falling meteorites, allowing water and gases to slowly but surely change the face of our planet.
The moon is the first space body after Mars, which claims to be the primary human colonization. In a sense, the Moon has already been mastered - the USSR and the USA have left state regalia on the satellite, and orbiting radio telescopes are hiding behind the far side of the Moon from the Earth, a generator of a lot of interference in the air. However, what awaits our satellite in the future?
The main process, which has already been mentioned more than once in the article, is the receding of the Moon due to tidal acceleration. It happens rather slowly - the satellite flies away no more than 0.5 centimeters per year. However, something completely different is important here. Moving away from the Earth, the Moon slows down its rotation. Sooner or later, a moment may come when a day on Earth will last as long as a lunar month - 29-30 days.
However, the Moon's removal will have its limit. After reaching it, the Moon will begin to approach the Earth in turns - and much faster than it moved away. However, it will not be able to completely crash into it. 12-20 thousand kilometers from the Earth, its Roche lobe begins - the gravitational limit at which the satellite of any planet can maintain a solid shape. Therefore, the Moon on approach will be torn into millions of small fragments. Some of them will fall to Earth, setting up a bombardment thousands of times more powerful than a nuclear one, and the rest will form a ring around the planet. However, it will not be so bright - the rings of the gas giants are composed of ice, which is many times brighter than the dark rocks of the Moon - they will not always be visible in the sky. The ring of the Earth will pose a problem for astronomers of the future - if, of course, by that time someone will remain on the planet.
However, all this will happen in billions of years. Until then, humanity considers the Moon as the first potential object for space colonization. However, what exactly is meant by "exploration of the moon"? Now we will look at the nearest prospects together.
Many people imagine the colonization of space is like the colonization of the Earth during the New Age - finding valuable resources, mining them, and then bringing them back home. However, this does not apply to space - in the next couple of hundred years, delivering a kilogram of gold even from the nearest asteroid will cost more than mining it from the most difficult and dangerous mines. Also, the Moon is unlikely to act as a "dacha sector of the Earth" in the near future - although there are large deposits of valuable resources, it will be difficult to grow food there.
But our satellite may well become a base for further space exploration in promising directions - for example, the same Mars. The main problem in astronautics today is spacecraft weight restrictions. To launch, you have to build monstrous structures that need tons of fuel - after all, you need to overcome not only the Earth's gravity, but also the atmosphere! And if this is an interplanetary ship, then you also need to refuel it. This seriously constrains designers, forcing them to prefer parsimony to functionality.
The moon is much better suited for a launch pad for spaceships. The lack of an atmosphere and low speed to overcome the Moon's gravity - 2.38 km / s versus 11.2 km / s from Earth - make launches much easier. And the satellite's mineral deposits make it possible to save on fuel weight - a stone around the neck of astronautics, which takes up a significant proportion of the mass of any vehicle. If we expand the production of rocket fuel on the Moon, it will be possible to launch large and complex spaceships, assembled from parts delivered from Earth. And the assembly on the moon will be much easier than in low-earth orbit - and much more reliable.
The technologies existing today allow, if not completely, then partially, to implement this project. However, any steps in this direction require risk. An enormous investment of money will require research for the required fossils, as well as the development, delivery and testing of modules for future lunar bases. And the estimated cost of launching even the initial elements alone can ruin an entire superpower!
Therefore, the colonization of the moon is not so much the work of scientists and engineers as people of the whole world to achieve such a valuable unity. For in the unity of humanity lies the true strength of the Earth.
