Cosma / Communication / Knowledge / Realm / Physical / Universe / Solar System / Terrestrial/ Earth / Moon
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Introduction1
NASA Goddard (YouTube Channel)
Goddard Space Flight Center (Official Website)
Dictionary
Moon : the earth’s natural satellite (see satellite 2a) that shines by the sun’s reflected light, revolves about the earth from west to east in about 291⁄2 days with reference to the sun or about 271⁄3 days with reference to the stars, and has a diameter of 2160 miles (3475 kilometers), a mean distance from the earth of about 238,900 miles (384,400 kilometers), and a mass about one eightieth that of the earth (often capitalized : usually used with the) — Merriam-Webster See also OneLook
Encyclopedia
The Moon is an astronomical body that orbits planet Earth, being Earth’s only permanent natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest natural satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits (its primary). Following Jupiter’s satellite Io, the Moon is second-densest satellite among those whose densities are known. The average distance of the Moon from the Earth is 384,400 km (238,900 mi),[10][11] or 1.28 light-seconds. — Wikipedia
Moon (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Moon (COSMOS: The SAO Encyclopedia of Astronomy)
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Adventures
Explore related posts on Cosma …
- Moon’scapes - There’s no denying that it’s been a rough week for many Earthlings. On the other hand, it’s been a great week for anyone who spends their time more preoccupied with the Moon than with more earthly concerns. That’s because there’s a treasure trove of news about our lunar realm. For example, NASA’s Goddard Media Studios … Continue reading Moon’scapes
- September is Corny! - Have you ever noticed that most months tend to be associated with certain adjectives. October is spooky, December is festive, and so on … I think of September as corny! One obvious reason for this is because it’s when corn is harvested and readily available. Another reason is because September is usually the month of … Continue reading September is Corny!
- Umbraphiles - umbraphile : One who loves eclipses, often travelling to see them. You’ve probably heard about the April 8th solar eclipse (Wikipedia), and if you live near the path of totality, then you’ve probably also seen news stories like this one. Party in the Path of Totality at These Solar Eclipse Getaways Across New England (Kristi … Continue reading Umbraphiles
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Inspiration
Take a virtual tour of the Moon in all-new 4K resolution, thanks to data provided by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. As the visualization moves around the near side, far side, north and south poles, we highlight interesting features, sites, and information gathered on the lunar terrain. — NASA Goddard
NASA Goddard (YouTube Channel)
Goddard Space Flight Center (Official Website)
Solar System Treks are portals that allow you to visualize, explore, and analyze the surfaces of other worlds using real data returned from a growing fleet of spacecraft. You can view the worlds through the eyes of many different instruments, pilot real-time 3D flyovers above mountains and into craters, and conduct measurements of surface features. Moon Trek integrates a suite of interactive tools that incorporate observations from past and current lunar missions, creating a comprehensive lunar research Web portal. The interface provides navigation, 3D visualization, fly-overs, performance, and reliability. — Moon Trek
Moon Trek (Solar System Treks, NASA, JPL & Cal Tech)
The Moon (Astrum, YouTube Playlist)
Articles about the Moon (Big Think)
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Innovation
Science
Our Moon: the Moon (International Astronomical Union)
The Moon (NASA)
Earth’s Moon Videos (ViewSpace, Space Telescope Science Institute)
The Moon (Planetary Society)
Lunar Exploration (Lunar & Planetary Institute)
Moon (Eric Weisstein’s World of Astronomy, Wolfram Research)
Moon (Wolfram Alpha)
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Preservation
History
On 30 November 1609, Galileo aimed his telescope at the Moon. While not being the first person to observe the Moon through a telescope (English mathematician Thomas Harriot had done it four months before but only saw a “strange spottednesse”), Galileo was the first to deduce the cause of the uneven waning as light occlusion from lunar mountains and craters. In his study, he also made topographical charts, estimating the heights of the mountains. The Moon was not what was long thought to have been a translucent and perfect sphere, as Aristotle claimed. — Wikipedia
The Moon (The Galileo Project)
The View from Galileo’s Telescope (MicroObservatory, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian)
Exploring the moon: From Apollo to Artemis, A Timeline of Lunar Missions (New Scientist, YouTube Video)
About Lunar Exploration From Apollo to the Future (Lunar and Planetary Institute)
Moon Exploration (NASA Science)
NASA’s History (NASA)
Museum
Moon Online Exhibitions (Smithsonian)
Earth’s Moon (Exploring the Planets, National Air and Space Museum)
Archive
Library
DDC: 523.3 Moon (Library Thing)
Subject: Moon (Library Thing)
LCC: QB 580 Moon (UPenn Online Books)
LCC: QB 580 Moon (Library of Congress)
Subject: Moon (Library of Congress)
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Participation
Education
The Moon – Level 1 (StarChild, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA)
The Moon – Level 2 (StarChild, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA)
Teach with the Moon (European Space Agency)
The Moon (Crash Course Astronomy, YouTube Video)
Earth’s Moons Learning Resources (National Air and Space Museum)
MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
OER Commons: Open Educational Resources
Community
Organization
Lunar Section (British Astronomical Association)
News
Moon (Nova Research Highlights, American Astronomical Society)
Earth’s Moon (EurekaAlert, AAAS)
The Moon (Astronomy Magazine)
Moon (JSTOR)
Moon (Science Daily)
Moon (Phys.org)
Recent News from Phys.org …
- Trump says US has 'a shot' at crewed Moon landing...on April 30, 2026 at 8:26 am
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he believes NASA has a good chance of returning astronauts to the moon's surface before he leaves the White House at the start of 2029.
- NASA's Artemis II moonship returns home to its...on April 29, 2026 at 5:59 am
The spacecraft that flew four astronauts around the moon is back where its record-breaking journey began.
- JWST hunts for an 'Earth-moon' twin in a...on April 28, 2026 at 12:20 am
The moon has played a huge role in the development of Earth. It stabilizes the planet, tempers dramatic climate swings, and possibly even provides the tidal heating that might have led to the first life forms. So it's natural we would want to find a similar Earth/Luna system somewhere else in the cosmos. But astronomers have been searching for one for years at this point to no avail. And a new paper, available on the arXiv preprint server, from Emily Pass and her colleagues at MIT, Harvard, and […]
- Before dinosaurs vanished, a hamster-sized mammal...on April 25, 2026 at 6:00 pm
Mammals and dinosaurs coexisted on Earth until a catastrophic event 66 million years ago killed 75% of life on the planet. Despite the devastation, some animals survived, including rodent-like mammals in the Cimolodon genus. These creatures are part of the multituberculates, a group that arose during the Jurassic Period and survived over 100 million years before going extinct. Studying these animals helps researchers better understand how mammals survived the mass extinction event and then […]
- Contribution to Artemis II Moon mission sees...on April 25, 2026 at 5:30 pm
The GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung and the international accelerator facility FAIR have made an important contribution to the success of the Artemis II moon mission. A camera specially developed for use in space was successfully tested in advance under realistic conditions at the GSI and FAIR particle accelerator.
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Related
Here are links to pages about closely related subjects.
“Fundamentals”
Law (Constant) Relativity
Force Gravity, Electromagnetism (Light, Color)
Matter (Microscope) Molecule, Atom (Periodic Table), Particle
“Space”
Universe (Astronomical Instrument)
Galaxy Milky Way, Andromeda
Planetary System Star, Brown Dwarf, Planet, Moon
Our Neighborhood
Solar System Sun
Terrestrial Planet Mercury, Venus, Earth (Our Moon, Luna), Mars
Asteroid Belt Ceres, Vesta
Jovian Planet Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Trans-Neptunian Object
Kuiper Belt Pluto, Haumea, Makemake
Scattered Disc Eris, Sedna, Planet X
Oort Cloud Etc. Scholz’s Star
Small Body Comet, Centaur, Asteroid
See also Space Transportation
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Notes
1. The resources on this page are are organized by a classification scheme developed exclusively for Cosma.





