Moon is a natural satellite of our green planet Earth and is humanity’s nearest companions. It is the nearest heavenly body to our Earth. It is the first place in space where our space crafts have landed. Despite its closeness, there are many strange secrets about the Moon that you should know. Our satellites keep doing researches to discover those secrets of the moon. There are many strange things on Moon which can astonish you. Here we are listing top 10 strange secrets of the Moon,
Strange Secrets Of The Moon
1. Moon Shadows
This is really a strange thing that any human will experience when he will observe the shadows on the moon. The shadows on the moon are far darker than shadows made on earth. The scientific reason could be the lack of atmosphere on the surface of the moon. It was soon discovered that they could adjust the contrast between shadows of dark shadowy areas and sunny ones. In earlier Apollo missions the shadow of Moon created many mischiefs. Astronauts while walking on moon face difficulty because they could barely see the ground because of the dark shadows of their own body. It is one of the strange secrets about the moon that you should know.
Related: The Moon: Silently protecting us?
2. The Moon and Sleep
The earth and its natural satellite have many effects on each other but this effect of the moon is a bit different and strange. The belief of many people that Moon effects the sleep of humans remained a source of constant debate. There is a chance that Moon effects the sleep of humans on Earth. According to an experiment done in the University of Basel in Switzerland, the phases of the moon affect the human sleep cycles in different ways. The experiment says that when there is a full moon then human sleep is affected the most. This theory further adds that on full moon Humans will see more strange things than average night and hence it constitutes to be one of the most strange secrets of the Moon.
3. Moon’s Origin
The biggest question regarding Moon, Where did the Moon come from? The answer is that we really don’t know. However, there are few scientific guesses out of which one might be correct. There are five main theories which talk about the origin of the moon. The fission theory states that moon was earlier a part of Earth which got separated a long time ago. The capture theory argues that moon was just wandering the universe until our Earth’s gravitational field caught it. Currently, the most accepted theory regarding Moon’s origin is Ejected Ring Theory. This theory tells that a protoplanet named Theia collided with Earth. The collision led the formation of a cloud of debris which eventually condensed into the moon.
4. Low Gravity Problem
The gravity on the Moon’s surface is one-sixth to that of the gravity on Earth’s surface. To move on the moon is a very difficult job to do. Craft pilot Buzz Aldrin says the moon was really a difficult environment to move on. He shared his moon walking experience and told that their space suits were clumsy and that their feet sank in the moon dust up to 6 inches. Though the gravity is low a person’s inertia on Moon surface is high which creates difficulty in moving faster and in changing directions. To move faster they have to move in clumsy Kangaroo-like bounds.
5. Moon Dust
One of the secrets of the Moon surprising risks on Moon’s surface known as Moon dust. Just like dust gets everywhere on Earth similarly on moon dust is everywhere. They are fine like flour but are rough. Due to its softness and Moon’s low gravity, it clings absolutely everywhere. Moon mission led by NASA and other space agencies have faced numerous problems due to moon dust. Moon dust completely erode Astronauts boots and sandpapered their visors. Moon dust travels inside the ship and causes “Moon hay fever” to the astronauts who inhale it. It even causes several damages to air suits.
6. Lunar Anomalies
There had been hundreds of images available that show strange things on the moon surface. These images had been captured by hundreds of cameras and astronomical devices that have been sent on Moon Mission. The strange things I am talking about are an artificial structure that ranges from tiny canister like shape to a towering structure that stands at least 1.6 kilometres. All these things tell that an advanced civilisation had lived on the moon. Though NASA doesn’t believe in these theories.
7. The Moon Is A Burial Ground
Eugene “Gene” Shoemaker was a famous astronomer and geologist. He was a legend in the field of astronomy. His scientific research of cosmic impacts on the moon and his methods and techniques were used by the Apollo Astronauts to research Moon. Shoemaker himself wanted to be an astronaut but his dream was to turn down due to medical issues. This was the biggest disappointment of his life. When he passed away, NASA fulfilled his ultimate wish and sent his ashes to Moon with Lunar Prospector in 1998. His ashes were scattered on the lunar surface with moon dust. Also, read about bizarre and insane facts about Moon you will find hard to believe.
8. Moon Trash
The lunar surface has been distributed with bags of urine to hundred monumental plaques and with more than 100 man-made items. It is estimated that Moon currently hosts near 40000 lbs of man-made material. With the passage of time astronauts who visited moon left a bit of trash behind. Sometimes the unfortunate happenings like crash lunar landing and a mechanical problem in the spacecraft lead to lunar debris as they are left there on Moon. Even some of the debris is functional today and is helpful for future missions.
9. The “Twin Planet”
Though the whole world thinks Moon to be a moon in reference that it is a natural satellite of Earth revolving around its planet. But researches have shown that moon doesn’t actually revolve around earth instead of Moon and Earth both revolves around a point between them. The point is called a barycentre. One of the strange secrets of the Moon that Moon revolves around the Earth is concluded because the barycentre is currently located inside the Earth’s crust. In future, this point will change. Moon is one-fourth of the diameter of Earth, it is easily the biggest moon in relation to its planet in our solar system. Therefore some classify moon as a “Twin-planet” of Earth.
10. Moonquakes
There is a dead hunk of rock which shows very little geological activity but Moon is prone to shaking effects known as moonquakes. The first three types of quakes – deep quakes, vibrations from meteorite impacts and thermal quakes caused by sun’s heat are less harmless as compared to the fourth type of shallow moonquakes. The moonquakes can register up to 5.5 on the Richter scale. According to NASA, these quakes make moon “play ring like a bell”. The worst thing about moonquakes is that scientists have failed to understand the real cause of this effect. According to some researchers, this quake is due to Earth’s tidal activity.
These are the strange secrets about the moon. Do post your comments.
