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The Moon’s Surface, Structure, and Evolution

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Solar System Astrophysics

Part of the book series: Astronomy and Astrophysics Library ((AAL))

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Abstract

The Moon! The nature of the lunar surface and the composition of the surface rocks are discussed first, making ample use of the many lunar missions that have visited our heavily cratered neighbor, including the discovery of water ice in the perpetually shadowed craters at the poles. The discussion then turns to lunar seismometry and models for the interior structure of the Moon. The geochemical evolution of the Moon and theories of its origin round out this detailed case study of one of the solar systems’ largest moons.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Mg# is the ratio of the number of moles of Mg in a sample to the sum of the number of moles of Mg plus the number of moles of Fe. A lower Mg# corresponds to a lower Mg content relative to Fe.

  2. 2.

    The Earth’s magnetosphere and geomagnetic tail are discussed in Chap. 11 of Milone and Wilson (2014).

  3. 3.

    The present phenomenon of evection, from Latin e + vehere (to carry away), was discovered by Ptolemy/Hipparchus and involves the effect of the perturbations in e and ω at the Moon’s perigee and apogee caused by the Sun’s position at those instants. The effect is to strongly perturb the Moon’s celestial longitude, λ m. The amplitude of perturbation on λ m at present is 1° 16′ and its period is 31 d⋅ 80747.

  4. 4.

    Named for the city of Nice, in France, where principal proponents of the theory work and live.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Physics & Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Eugene F. Milone (Professor Emeritus) & William J. F. Wilson (Senior Instructor Emeritus)

Authors
  1. Eugene F. Milone
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  2. William J. F. Wilson
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Challenges

Challenges

  1. [8.1]

    Calculate the lunar crater diameter expected from the impact of an object with a 100 m diameter and density of 3,400 kg/m3. Suppose that the object is overtaken by the Moon with a net orbital speed difference of 5 km/s.

  2. [8.2]

    The crater frequency is higher over the highlands than over the lowlands of the Moon. Why? Discuss the situation in the light of the time-line of selenological history.

  3. [8.3]

    The moment of inertia of the Moon is 0.391; what does this imply about the structure of the Moon?

  4. [8.4]

    The angular momentum of the Earth-Moon system is 3.41 × 1034 kgm2/s. Assuming no loss of angular momentum to the Earth-Moon system over time, find the rotation speed of the two bodies when they were in contact, under the fission theory for the Moon’s origin. What can you conclude assuming the impact theory for the Moon’s origin?

  5. [8.5]

    If the acceleration of gravity is matched by the centrifugal acceleration in a critically rotating contact Earth-Moon binary, compute the breakup speed. Is the speed computed in [8.4] sufficient for fission to have occurred?

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Milone, E.F., Wilson, W.J.F. (2014). The Moon’s Surface, Structure, and Evolution. In: Solar System Astrophysics. Astronomy and Astrophysics Library. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8848-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8848-4_8

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