Even though we can see the Moon shining brightly in the night sky – and sometimes in daylight – it’s hard to put into perspective just how large, and just how distant, our nearest neighbor actually is.
So just how big is the Moon?
Key Takeaways:
- If you placed the Moon and Australia side by side, their width is about the same, but the Moon’s surface is actually five times larger than Australia.
- The Moon’s orbit is elliptical, which means the distance between it and the Earth is constantly changing.
- If you could drive to the Moon, it would be a five and a half month non-stop trip.
“The Moon and the Sun appear almost exactly the same size in Earth’s sky. As a result, when the Moon and the Sun line up perfectly, as seen from Earth, something wonderful happens – a total eclipse of the Sun.”
Read more: http://theconversation.com/how-big-is-the-moon-let-me-compare-118840
