EXPLORING OUR UNIVERSE THE MOON KELLY DOUDNA Checkerboard Library An Imprint of Abdo Publishing abdopublishing com
MISSION THE MOON The moon is Earth's closest celestial companion Yet it is the only moon without a specific name This is because ancient astronomers didn't know other moons existed THE ORIGINAL CALENDAR For thousands of years the moon has been an important timekeeper As it orbits Earth different parts of the moon are visible Its cycle is the basis for our modern calendar Time can be marked by the moon's changing appearance A CLOSER LOOK Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei made the first scientific observations of the moon He studied it through one of the earliest telescopes Galileo saw that the moon's light and dark areas were really mountains and craters
Earth's The moon seen here from the International Space Station is Earth's nearest neighbor But it is still about 238 855 miles 384 400 km away HOUSTON WE HAVE LIFTOFF Today we know much more about our moon Astronauts and probes have studied it from every side Observing our moon is one way we can learn more about our universe
