Effects Of Moon On Earth:
Eclipses:
The shadows the Earth and Moon throw in space cause total or
partial eclipses of the Moon and Sun.
Lunar Eclipse:
Earth revolves round the Sun and the Moon
revolves round the Earth, being its satellite. Clearly many a time the Earth
comes between the Sun and the full Moon casting a shadow on the Moon. This is
called an eclipse of the Moon.
Solar Eclipse:
A solar eclipse can take place when the
Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth. It occurs only at new Moon because.
Moon's orbit is not in the same plane as that of the Earth.
Tides:
Another effect of the Moon on Earth is caused by
Moon's gravity. Invisible fin of gravity from both Sun and Moon draw the
Earth's water together into tidal bulges, which surge up and down 'he shore
lines everyday. As the Moon is nearer than the Sun it has more than twice the
Sun's influence on the Earth's tides.
Spring Tides:
Twice a month, at new and full moon, the
tidal pulls of the Moon and Sun coincide because they happen to be in the same
line and produce so called spring tides which are about 20% higher than normal.
Neap Tides:
In between the new and full Moon i.e at the
Moon's first and last quarter, the Moon and Sun are pulling at right angles.
Then the net tidal force is 20% less than average, producing neap tides.
Asteroids.
In
addition to the principal planets and their satellites, there are many other
bodies which roam about the Sun. These bodies are asteroids, comets and
meteoroids. The asteroids are sometimes known as planetoids, small planets
which move around the Sun between the large gap of Jupiter and Mars. This gap
is about 547 million km. and is known as the asteroid belt. These are thousands
of rock — and — metal bodies ranging from hundreds of kms. to a few metres
across. They are believed to be debris left over from the formation of the
inner planets of the solar system. Their total number may be about 100,000.
Among the brightest are Pallas (560 km. across),and Besta (500 km. across). The
combined mass of all asteroids is probably about one thousandth. that of the
Earth. I hey are too small to retain any atmosphere. and none of them is likely
to harbour any form of life. Some asteroids have eccentric orbits that take
them well ~ beyond the orbits between Mars and Jupiter. Hidalgo can retreat
from the Sun as far as the orbit of Saturn, while Icarus approaches even closer
to the Sun than Mercury does.
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| Alifye - Effects of Moon - Adroids |
Comets.
The word
comet is derived from the Latin word "Long —haired". The comets are
the tail — stars and are the objects of the solar system. On average about 5
new comets are discovered every year. Most comets are very faint. A comet is a
body of gas and dust traveling in an elongated orbit round the Stilt. When far
from the Sun. a comet's gases are frozen. It shines only by reflected sunlight,
and appears very faint. But as the comet approaches the Sun, its gases warm up
and evaporates, releasing material which forms a long, flowing tail. This
always points away from the Sun. and may be as lorig as 160 million km. The
direction of the tail and its glow are caused by the comet's gases reacting
with atomic particles that stream out from the Sun. The brightest of the
periodic comets is Halley's which orbits the Sun in 76 years. It will next
appear in 2062. Comets are insubstantial bodies. The largest comet is probably
less than a millionth of the Earth's weight.
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| Alifye - Effects Of Moon - Comets |
Meteoroids.
The word
meteoroid is a broad one and includes meteors, fireballs, meteorites and
micrometeorites. The source of meteorids is not known. Meteors, popularly
knosyn as the "shootng stars" are believed to be the debris from
comets. These are particles from space which burn up by friction in the Earth's
atmosphere. Most meteors are between the size of a grain of sand and that of
pea, and as they burn up they appear as bright streaks in the sky. Millions of
meteorids pass into our atmosphere but only two or three a day can reach the
Earth. Rest are burnt in the atmosphere. These meterods are kTows as
meteorites. These are chunks of rock or metal from space large enough to pass
though the atmosphere of planet without burning up and to reach its surface.
These are believed to be fragments broken off asteroids. Some are big enough to
carve a crater when they hit the planets surface e.g. on the Moon. Mars and
Mercury.
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| Alifye - Effects of Moon - Meteoroids |
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