How Big is the Moon? MM#1

less than 1m read

·Nov 2, 2024

How big is the moon? In the night sky, the moon seems rather small, but in reality, it really isn't. Central Europe would easily fit under it. The surface area of the moon is huge. To give you some perspective, it's as big as the whole European continent, China, the USA, Brazil, and South Africa together.

Weight-wise, the moon is only about 1/81th of the mass of Earth, but how big is it in relation to Earth? Quite big actually, our moon is the biggest in the solar system in relation to its planet, and it's the fifth largest moon in the solar system. Quite a bit bigger than the dwarf planet Pluto.

Now if the moon is really that huge, how far away is it from us to seem this small in the night sky? 370 km, as far as the ISS maybe? No. At that distance, gravitational forces would rip the moon apart. At 36000 km, it would be as far away as our most distant satellite. Let's adjust the distance to reality. Pretty far away, right?

A 747 would need 28 straight days to fly to the moon, and even with our current technology, we'd need two full days. And in a car, a lot of time. So how big is the moon? Well, it kind of depends how you define "big"; but seriously though, it's pretty big.

Hey Youtube, we'll try something new this month, Mo(o)n May. One video about cool moon stuff each Monday in May. So, see you next week! Subtitles by the Amara.org community.

The Web Is Not The Net

The Housing Market Is Sinking

View All

Physics Nobel Prize 2011 - Brian Schmidt

[Applause] There are few things in the world that seem more constant than the stars in the night sky. If you look up at the Milky Way, you will see the same thing that people have looked at for thousands and thousands of years. But as Professor Schmidt fo…

Finding derivative with fundamental theorem of calculus: chain rule | AP®︎ Calculus | Khan Academy

Let’s say that we have the function capital F of x, which we’re going to define as the definite integral from 1 to sine of x. So that’s an interesting upper bound right over there of 2t minus 1, and of course dt. What we are curious about is trying to fi…

Worked example: Calculating partial pressures | AP Chemistry | Khan Academy

We’re told that a 10 liter cylinder contains 7.60 grams of argon in gas form and 4.40 grams of molecular nitrogen, once again in gas form at 25 degrees Celsius. Calculate the partial pressure of each gas and the total pressure in the cylinder. Alright, s…

See How Ancient Past and Present Meet in This Coastal Town | National Geographic

(soft music) [Gabriel] This is Huanchaco. This is my hometown. Huanchaco is a small fishing village that is north of the city of Trujillo, and it’s a very rich place in archaeological sites. There has been a continuous occupation in this area for more th…

Latin American Independence movements | 1450 - Present | World History | Khan Academy

This is a map of what the Americas looked like at around the year 1750. As you can see, it was for the most part divided as colonies by a bunch of European powers. Most prominent is Spain; you can see in this peach-brownish color it had control all the wa…

Why Lionfish Should Be Your Favorite Fish to Eat | Nat Geo Live

When I was 17, I was diving off the coast of South Florida and I saw the most beautiful fish I had ever seen. It had these bold stripes and these big dramatic spines. And I had no idea what it was. So I went to the dive master and he told me I had just se…

How Big is the Moon? MM#1

More Articles