View the moon

Author: Fuji Akira
Translator: Lingling
Country: Japan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-11-01
Features: The moon is covered with countless round craters, which are called "craters." Some craters are so large that they can fit the entire Shikoku region of Japan inside. The Earth has animals, flowers, water, snow, clouds, and blue skies. However, the moon lacks all of these. The moon's surface is covered in dust, with rocks scattered everywhere. The sky is pitch black even at noon. The moon is the closest to Earth and is a very interesting planet. In the photo, the crescent moon is about to set behind the forest. Take a closer look at the moon at this moment. Stars that revolve around the sun like the Earth are called "planets," while stars that revolve around the Earth like the moon are called "satellites." There are nine planets in the solar system, and not only Earth has satellites like the moon. Mars, which orbits the Earth, has two satellites. The largest planet is Jupiter, which has 16 satellites. Saturn, with its rings, has more than 20 satellites. Additionally, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto also have satellites, while some planets, such as Mercury and Venus, have none. With 16 satellites, Jupiter must be very lively at night.
Moreover, there is a new theory worth noting. This theory suggests that the newly formed Earth was struck by a celestial body as large as Mars, and the splintered pieces of Earth gathered together to form the moon. This theory is known as the "Giant Impact Hypothesis" or the "Giant Object Collision Theory." According to this theory, about 4.5 to 4.6 billion years ago, around the newly glowing primitive sun, there was cosmic dust that gathered like a snowball, giving birth to planets like Earth. On this newly formed Earth, a major event occurred: a celestial body half the size of Earth crashed into it with great force. The fragments of the celestial body and Earth's debris orbited around Earth before eventually reassembling to form the moon. At this time, the moon was newly formed and its surface was extremely hot, covered in molten lava and magma.