With the launch of NASA'S space probe...destination, the moon...this September is the perfect month for inviting friends round and having your own "Thriller" night! MJ loved the moon and we love our very own natural satellite too! Celebrate in celestial style with the best selling album of all time!
How important is the moon?
One result of the tidal effects of the Earth on the Moon is synchronous rotation. You may have noticed already that the Moon always keeps one face to us - that we never see the Dark Side of the Moon (that famous double-platinum rock album by Pink Floyd not withstanding).Time is a result of our lunar observations. Be careful in assuming the Moon does not rotate. On the contrary, rotation of the moon is the same period of orbit of the Moon - 29 and a half days. This time looks pretty familiar - 1 month on the "lunar" calendar. A standard month is based on one complete lifecycle of the Moon. There are variations: A Blue Moon A Harvest Moon Specifically, a Harvest Moon is the full Moon that occurs around September 23: This represents the autumnal equinox Also occurs in the Southern Hemisphere, but around March 21 Orbit of the Moon is lowest at this time so the full Moon appears to rise quicker Because of the low orbit, the full Moon appears to rise the same time for the next few successive days. A Blue Moon does not describe its color, but the rare event of two full moons occurring in one month - hence the phrase "once in a blue moon." A typical month is 30 to 31 days while a lunar month is about 29.5 days. One can see why this is a pretty rare event. Life is a result of the tidal forces of the Moon. Isaac Asimov wrote in his "Tragedy of the Moon" 1972, that life evolved in the sea did not want to move to land. There was no reason to, no movements to force the life forms to the surface.
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