WEBVTT NOTE This file was exported by MacCaption version 7.0.11 to comply with the WebVTT specification dated March 27, 2017. 00:00:00.734 --> 00:00:02.236 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:28% [adventurous music] 00:00:02.236 --> 00:00:04.605 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:42% >> Narrator: What's Up for July. 00:00:04.605 --> 00:00:07.741 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:44% This month, NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary 00:00:07.741 --> 00:00:09.476 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% of the Apollo 11 mission. 00:00:09.476 --> 00:00:12.246 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:32% Making the first human landing on the Moon. 00:00:12.246 --> 00:00:15.182 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:38% While looking forward to the future of lunar exploration. 00:00:15.182 --> 00:00:18.051 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:35% So, this month, a special edition of What's Up. 00:00:18.051 --> 00:00:20.120 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:27% Here are five things about the Moon 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:21.355 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:41% that you can share with others 00:00:21.355 --> 00:00:24.324 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% when you're gazing up at our natural satellite. 00:00:24.324 --> 00:00:26.326 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:38% How far away is the Moon? 00:00:26.326 --> 00:00:27.861 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:27% The Moon is farther away from Earth 00:00:27.861 --> 00:00:29.463 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:32% than people often think. 00:00:29.463 --> 00:00:30.931 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:30% A good ballpark number to remember, 00:00:30.931 --> 00:00:34.735 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:41% is that the Moon is about a quarter of a million miles away. 00:00:34.735 --> 00:00:37.537 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:41% Or, about 400,000 kilometers. 00:00:37.537 --> 00:00:39.006 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:26% It's such a big gap, 00:00:39.006 --> 00:00:40.974 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% that you could just about fit the other seven 00:00:40.974 --> 00:00:43.644 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:39% major planets into the space between the two worlds. 00:00:44.444 --> 00:00:46.713 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:30% Astronauts from three of the Apollo missions, 00:00:46.713 --> 00:00:48.248 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:27% including Apollo 11, 00:00:48.248 --> 00:00:50.617 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:38% placed special reflectors on the lunar surface that are 00:00:50.617 --> 00:00:52.286 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:30% still used to determine the Moon's 00:00:52.286 --> 00:00:54.421 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:43% distance with extreme precision. 00:00:54.421 --> 00:00:56.957 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:41% In fact, they've revealed that the Moon is moving away 00:00:56.957 --> 00:00:59.226 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% from Earth by about an inch and a half per year. 00:00:59.860 --> 00:01:01.495 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:30% How big is the Moon? 00:01:01.495 --> 00:01:03.897 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:40% This one's another easy approximation to remember. 00:01:03.897 --> 00:01:07.968 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:40% The Moon is about one fourth the size of earth in diameter. 00:01:07.968 --> 00:01:10.404 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:29% It's about as wide as the United States. 00:01:11.505 --> 00:01:13.273 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:33% What color is the Moon? 00:01:13.273 --> 00:01:15.342 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:25% The Moon doesn't emit it's own light. 00:01:15.342 --> 00:01:17.711 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:38% It reflects light from the Sun. 00:01:17.711 --> 00:01:20.514 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:36% And, up close, the Moon's surface is mostly gray. 00:01:20.514 --> 00:01:22.582 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:37% Like old well-worn asphalt. 00:01:23.450 --> 00:01:25.652 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:36% Why do we always see the same side of the Moon? 00:01:25.919 --> 00:01:27.354 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:37% Now, it may not look like it, 00:01:27.354 --> 00:01:29.856 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:33% but the Moon really does rotate on it's axis. 00:01:29.856 --> 00:01:31.358 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:22% Much like Earth. 00:01:31.358 --> 00:01:33.360 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:38% We always see, essentially, the same face of the Moon, 00:01:33.360 --> 00:01:35.862 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% because it orbits around Earth in the same 00:01:35.862 --> 00:01:37.931 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:24% amount of time it takes to rotate. 00:01:37.931 --> 00:01:39.466 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:24% The reason is related to gravity, 00:01:39.466 --> 00:01:42.502 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% and the same forces that cause daily ocean tides. 00:01:42.502 --> 00:01:44.604 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:26% A side note, is that since it's rotating, 00:01:44.604 --> 00:01:47.708 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:39% there really is no permanent dark side of the Moon. 00:01:47.708 --> 00:01:50.510 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:46% The changing phases of the Moon demonstrate how the portion 00:01:50.510 --> 00:01:52.913 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:30% of it's surface that's lit by the Sun revolves 00:01:52.913 --> 00:01:54.581 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:42% around the Moon every month. 00:01:54.581 --> 00:01:56.183 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:24% Over the course of the lunar day. 00:01:57.417 --> 00:01:59.653 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:29% What are the dark areas on the Moon? 00:01:59.653 --> 00:02:01.922 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:45% One of the main things you notice when observing the Moon 00:02:01.922 --> 00:02:03.357 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:39% is that it has these bright and 00:02:03.357 --> 00:02:05.492 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:40% dark areas across it's surface. 00:02:05.492 --> 00:02:08.328 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:38% Everybody's familiar with the man in the Moon, right? 00:02:08.328 --> 00:02:10.697 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:29% The dark areas are known as Mare, 00:02:10.697 --> 00:02:13.300 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:32% the Latin word for seas. 00:02:13.300 --> 00:02:15.535 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:28% The lunar Mare are volcanic basins, 00:02:15.535 --> 00:02:18.138 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:32% created in the aftermath of ancient impacts, 00:02:18.138 --> 00:02:19.840 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:29% billions of years ago. 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:22.476 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:32% After the impacts, the craters filled with lava. 00:02:22.476 --> 00:02:26.546 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:38% Which eventually cooled to form smooth dark plains. 00:02:26.546 --> 00:02:27.848 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:42% One of the most famous Mare, 00:02:27.848 --> 00:02:29.750 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% is the Sea of Tranquility. 00:02:29.750 --> 00:02:32.419 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:35% This was the landing site chosen for Apollo 11. 00:02:32.419 --> 00:02:34.955 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:31% In part, because it was fairly smooth and level. 00:02:36.123 --> 00:02:37.858 align:center line:0 position:50% size:25% To locate the Sea of Tranquility, 00:02:37.858 --> 00:02:41.828 align:center line:0 position:50% size:38% look for these two large dark markings that overlap. 00:02:41.828 --> 00:02:43.096 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:29% If you're facing South, 00:02:43.096 --> 00:02:44.898 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:26% they'll be on the Moon's right side. 00:02:44.898 --> 00:02:47.134 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:24% Tranquility is the lower of the two, 00:02:47.134 --> 00:02:50.103 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:36% and the Apollo 11 landing sight is right here. 00:02:51.571 --> 00:02:54.408 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:40% 50 years on, NASA continues to reveal the Moon's secrets. 00:02:54.408 --> 00:02:56.710 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:39% With an eye toward sending the next human astronauts 00:02:56.710 --> 00:02:58.678 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:33% there in the near future. 00:02:58.678 --> 00:03:00.680 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:29% Here are the phases of the Moon for July. 00:03:04.117 --> 00:03:05.752 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:45% You can learn more about Apollo, 00:03:05.752 --> 00:03:09.322 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:38% and NASA's future plans for the Moon at nasa.gov. 00:03:09.322 --> 00:03:11.925 align:center line:0 position:50% size:45% I'm Preston Dyches from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 00:03:11.925 --> 00:03:13.794 align:center line:0 position:50% size:26% And, that's What's Up for this month. 00:03:13.794 --> 00:03:17.898 align:center line:0 position:50% size:27% [EXPLORE / NASA]