For as long as living creatures have existed, it’s natural to assume that they have always been fascinated by the moon. Across all human cultures, the moon has been the focus of innumerous fables, legends and stories for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. In modern times, the moon has taken on even more importance. It is a source of inspiration for science-fiction novels, an important landmark in terms of space travel, and an integral part of understanding how the Earth’s ocean works. Needless to say, the moon is still a very important part of our modern lives. If you’re interested in learning more about the moon, read below for some interesting moon wall art facts.
Quakes
Earthquakes are a common occurrence on our planet. Earthquakes are essentially the result of natural “plates” shifting underneath the Earth’s rocky surface. Did you know that the Moon has its own quakes? In studies conducted by NASA during the early 1970s, it was discovered that the moon experience frequent “moonquakes” in the same way that Earth does. Moonquakes occur around 700km below the moon’s surface. These quakes register to about 5.5 on our Richter scale. Read below for more moon wall art facts.
Origins
Creating a planet is a long and slow natural process. Planets can be made any number of ways, but most are and were made through collisions. The moon is no different in this regard. Billions of years ago, the primordial Earth came into physical contact with a large planet called Theia. The result of the impact was that Earth and Theia combined into one, with a small chunk of their union breaking off. This chunk became what we know as the Moon. The process by which planets are formed by being the runoff of planetary impacts is called “rotational fission”. Read below for more moon wall art facts.
Full Moon
The Moon has been the subject of human fascination for a long, long time. Over the years, it has inspired many legends rooted in cultural folklore. The byproduct of this cultural association are the many names the Moon has. Did you know that there is a name for every full moon that occurs in every month of the year? For example, July is the “Buck Moon”. This name comes from Native American culture; male deer, or bucks, shed their antlers ever year, and begin to regrow them in July. August and September’s full moons are called the “Sturgeon Moon” and the “Harvest Moon” respectively. Read below for more moon wall art facts.
Spots
Gazing up at the moon, what is it that you see? A large, glowing white planet. That’s not all, though, is it? What’s within that glowing planet? Dark spots! Have you ever wondered what they are? These dark spots are called “Maria”. This is the Latin word for “sea.” Maria are the remnants of ancient magma that used to flow on the Moon’s surface. This magma has since dried up, but these hot pools have left behind deep craters in their wake. Read below for more moon wall art facts.
Distance
When the sky is particularly clear, sometimes it looks as though you could just reach out and touch the moon. If you really want to travel to the moon, you’d have an extremely long journey. To get to the moon, the rough travel estimate is around 230,000 miles. If you have hard time trying to visualize that, let’s put it this way. When, relative to the Earth’s orbit, the moon is at its closest, it is about 28 Earths away. When the moon is at is farthest, it is around 32 Earths away. Did you enjoy our moon wall art facts?
Conclusion
The moon has captivated us ever since we evolved to have the ability to look up at it. Our silent planetary protector, the moon is undoubtedly a magnificent sight to behold. If you didn’t respect the legacy of this important planet before, hopefully you do now! We really hope you enjoyed our moon wall art facts!