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 …
- A giant star is changing before our eyes and...on February 7, 2026 at 7:10 pm
For decades, astronomers have been watching WOH G64, an enormous heavyweight star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy visible with the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere. This star is more than 1,500 times larger than the sun and emitting over 100,000 times more energy. For a long time, red supergiant WOH G64 looked like a star steadily reaching the end of its life, shedding material and swelling in size as it began to run out of fuel.
- Did trees in the Dolomites anticipate a solar...on February 6, 2026 at 4:00 pm
Around 14 hours before a partial solar eclipse passed over the Dolomites in Northern Italy, a group of spruce trees showed a sudden, synchronized increase in electrical activity. Previous research by Alessandro Chiolerio and others claimed that the trees were anticipating and preparing for the impending solar eclipse.
- NASA Langley makes final preparations for Artemis...on February 5, 2026 at 9:45 pm
When Apollo 17 astronauts returned from the moon in 1972, they visited NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, to thank staff for their contributions to the mission, saying "we stood on the shoulders of giants as we shot for the stars."
- Why has SpaceX not launched from Kennedy Space...on February 5, 2026 at 9:41 pm
SpaceX launched 26 missions from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A in 2025, including four human spaceflight missions. That era is coming to an end. A massive crane was put in place this week with speculation it will soon remove the crew access arm from the historic launch site that hosted most of the Apollo and space shuttle missions as SpaceX shifts plans for all future launches of its Crew Dragon spacecraft to its neighboring pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- A new comet was just discovered. Will it be...on February 5, 2026 at 6:20 pm
A newly discovered comet has astronomers excited, with the potential to be a spectacular sight in early April. C/2026 A1 (MAPS) was spotted by a team of four amateur astronomers with a remotely operated telescope in the Atacama desert on January 13.
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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.





