Moon Quiz 1: Chapter 1

Question 1

breccias

Answer 1

rocks composed of small rock fragments, glass, and soil that have been compacted into cohesive rocks.

Question 2

liberation

Answer 2

the “rocking” slightly back and forth of the moon in orbit

Question 3

sidereal period

Answer 3

the moon’s rotation time with respect to the stars (approximately 27 1/2 days)

Question 4

synodic period

Answer 4

the time from one full moon to the next (approximately 29 1/2 days)

Question 5

spring tides

Answer 5

tides are higher during the full moon and new moon phases when there is a lineup between the sun, earth, and moon and the gravity of both objects and then contribute to the tidal pull on the earth

Question 6

What is a moon?

Answer 6

Any natural satellite that orbits a planet that holds it captive by the planet’s gravity force. It moves in a continuous elliptical orbit

Question 7

What three Hebrew words refer to the moon in the Old Testament?

Answer 7

hōdesh, ya-reah, lebana

Question 8

What is the Greek word for “moon” in the New Testament, and what does it mean?

Answer 8

selene; white one

Question 9

What does the word “centripetal” mean?

Answer 9

center-seeking

Question 10

What do physical laws say about the universe

Answer 10

It is orderly and constant. It is not something that changes over time but has been in existence since the beginning.

Question 11

How large is the moon?

Answer 11

one-quarter the size of the earth; diameter of 2,160 miles or 3,475 km; 81 times smaller than the earth

Question 12

Why is the size of the moon considered to be unusual compared to other moons we see in our solar system?

Answer 12

Our moon is considered large in terms of proportion of size in ration to earth when compared to other planets with moons in our solar system.

Question 13

What are some of the previous theories on what created lunar craters? What is the predominate idea of their origin today?

Answer 13

volcanic activity, giant gas bubbles, and collapsed sinkholes; impact craters

Question 14

Why do crystalline rocks hint about the moon’s history?

Answer 14

a rapid cooling of the surface at some point

Question 15

What shape are lunar rocks

Answer 15

sharply angular

Question 16

What two things are missing from the moon that would help with the possibility of life?

Answer 16

life-building carbon and free oxygen

Question 17

What causes the moon phase?

Answer 17

They are a result of our partial view of the sunlit portion of the moon.

Question 18

When does a lunar eclipse occur?

Answer 18

When the earth is lined up exactly between the sun and the moon.

Question 19

What causes the earth’s tides?

Answer 19

Mainly the pull of the moon’s gravity and a smaller amount of the sun’s gravity.

Question 20

Which American president in 1961 set the national goal of a manned moon exploration?

Answer 20

President John F. Kennedy

Question 21

Where on the moon’s surface did Astronaut Neil Armstrong take his first steps on July 20, 1969?

Answer 21

Sea of Tranquility

Question 22

Are there marked similarities among the moons of our solar system that would suggest a common spontaneous origin?

Answer 22

No - each is unique

Question 23

What was one extreme method NASA used to try and find water molecules on the moon?

Answer 23

deliberately crashing two probes into the lunar surface

Question 24

Why was the South Pole of the moon a target for probes trying to find water on the moon?

Answer 24

Some felt frozen water might have accumulated there deep within craters that are not reached by sunlight and it is persistently cold.