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Moon Facts
Scientists believe the moon came from the debris that formed after a body the size of Mars collided with the earth. The moon has no atmosphere and no water, wind or weather. The moon appears bright at night because of the reflection of the sun. Surface temperatures range from 212 degrees Fahrenheit to -279.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The moon's mass is 73,476,730,924,573,500,000,000 kg. The average distance from the earth is 238,855 miles.
Types of Lunar Eclipses
There are three basic types of lunar eclipses: penumbral lunar eclipse, partial and total. Partial and total eclipses are the only eclipses that are particularly noteworthy to most people because penumbral eclipses are hard to see. A partial lunar eclipse is when the moon passes through the Earth's umbral shadow. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the whole moon passes through this shadow. Both types are can be seen easily with the naked eye.
Frequency of Lunar Eclipses
A lunar eclipse only happens during a full moon and only if the moon passes through part of the earth's shadow. In the 5,000 years between 2000 BCE and 3000 CE, there will have been 7,718 partial and total lunar eclipses. The average number of total lunar eclipses annually is one, but there can be up to three. The last time there were three total lunar eclipses in one year was 1982. Partial eclipses can occur six to seven times a year.
Aristotle
The philosopher Aristotle was able to prove that the earth is round because of lunar eclipses. He made observations about the curved shadow during several partial eclipses. In comparing the eclipses, he realized that the earth's shadow is round no matter what. He realized that it did not matter if the eclipse occurred high up or just along the horizon because the shadow of the earth still appeared round. He correctly concluded that only a sphere would cast a round shadow from any angle.